Ida gets even deadlier as remnants dump rain on East Coast cities

The remnants of Ida became the deadliest part of the storm, as historic rain was responsible for at least 50 deaths from Maryland to New York. The video above shows some of the flooding, and one of the tornadoes seen Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service recorded over three inches of rain in Central Park in one hour Wednesday night. That surpasses the 1.94 inches that fell in one hour when Henri hit in August. At the time, that total was believed to be the most ever recorded in the park.

“We’re enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said late Wednesday. He declared a state of emergency for the city.

At least 13 people died in New York City, police said, one of them in a car and eight in flooded basement apartments. Officials said at least eight died in New Jersey and three in Pennsylvania’s suburban Montgomery County. One was killed by a falling tree, one drowned in a car and another in a home.

Outside Philadelphia, officials reported “multiple fatalities”. No additional details were immediately available. A 19-year-old man was killed in the flooding at the Rockville complex.

In addition to the reported deaths, police in Connecticut were investigating a report of a person missing due to the flooding in Woodbury.

The remnants of Ida were also responsible for at least two tornadoes in the mid-Atlantic. One ripped apart homes and toppled silos in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, south of Philadelphia.

As of 9:30 a.m. EST Thursday, PowerOutage indicated over 212,000 customers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania were without power due to the remnants of Ida.

Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean is far from over. According to the National Hurricane Center, Larry became a hurricane over the eastern tropical Atlantic early Thursday. It’s expected to become a major hurricane by Friday night. The good news: the Center said there are no hazards from the storm expected to make landfall anywhere.