New York City experienced its wettest summer in five years, marked by persistent heavy rainfall and significant flash flooding across all five boroughs. The deluge has prompted warnings from City Comptroller Mark Levine that the city's century-old infrastructure is increasingly unable to cope with extreme weather events, necessitating urgent and substantial investment.

Thursday evening's heavy rains, which brought 3.72 inches of precipitation to Staten Island, turned streets into rivers and trapped drivers in their vehicles. This event was one of several dozen flood incidents that have impacted the city this summer. According to data compiled by the comptroller's office, flooding exceeding one foot in depth occurred nine times throughout the summer, and neighborhoods were inundated with at least four inches of rain on 36 separate occasions.

Central Park has recorded more than 16.7 inches of rain since June 1, surpassing the average of 13.7 inches. This total marks the wettest summer for the city since 2021, when Tropical Storm Henri contributed to an exceptionally high rainfall.

Levine expressed concern that the frequency and intensity of these rain events indicate a changing weather pattern. "I don’t know how anyone who lives through this summer could still tell themselves we’ve had no change in weather patterns," Levine stated. "It’s really quite obvious we’re not investing enough to protect the city in the face of this rising threat from extreme weather."

The city's infrastructure, much of which dates back a century, is struggling to manage the increased precipitation. The subway system, which requires constant pumping of water even on dry days, becomes overwhelmed during heavy storms. The century-old sewage overflow system can only handle approximately 1.75 inches of rain per hour.

To address the growing threat, Levine advocates for billions of dollars in upgrades across multiple city agencies. Proposed solutions include expanding the capacity of pumping stations, reinforcing subway entrances to reduce runoff, and significantly improving the city's sewage overflow system. He also supports increasing the number of trees, bio-swales, and rooftop vegetation to help absorb rainwater before it enters the drainage systems.

"We need them now because the rain is here and it’s coming more intensely," Levine urged. "We’ve got to up our game."