Heavy rains flooded streets in New York on Friday, paralysing the traffic system in the financial capital of the United States, as videos of the city go viral on social media.

One of the social media users wrote on X, erstwhile Twitter, that it was not Karachi or Dhaka or Mumbai, but New York city.

Many videos showed public buses plying on inundated streets as the passengers raise their legs when water enters the bus.

Heavy rains overnight in the northeastern United States left parts of New York City under water, with users on social media reminding the world of the effects of climate change.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared an official state of emergency for the city, Long Island to the east, and the Hudson River valley to the north, warning people to not travel on flooded roads.

Images from around New York showed cars half-submerged and traffic snarled, with some major roads completely blocked.

Rainfall rate was one to two inches per hour, said World Wide Fund President Adil Najam, adding: “It’s just beginning.”

Najam, who is also dean emeritus and professor of International Relations and Earth and environment at Boston University, added that climate change was real and everywhere.

The massive New York subway system was also hit by the flooding, with several lines closed in Brooklyn.

“There is only extremely limited subway service available because of heavy flooding. Service is suspended at many stations,” the subway declared on social media.

“Please stay home if you don’t need to travel,” it said.

The National Weather Service warned of flooding through late Friday with as much as two inches (5.1 centimeters) of rain falling per hour.

It said total accumulation on Friday could hit seven inches (18 centimeters).

“Excessive runoff will likely result in scattered to numerous instances of flash flooding in urban and poor drainage areas, as well as along quick responding small rivers and streams,” it said.

The rain came from a low pressure system along the mid-Atlantic coast, which pulls in moist air from the ocean.

In September 2021 Hurricane Ida brought extensive flooding to the region, leaving 13 people dead, many of them trapped in basement apartments.

Last year, floods triggered by heavy rains wreaked havoc in Pakistan. The catastrophic floods affected 33 million people in the South Asian coutnry.

They caused an estimated Rs3.2 trillion (US$14.9 billion) of damage, according to the country’s Post-Disaster Needs Assessment report.

(With input from AFP)