Privacy update — September 18, 2026: Identifying details have been removed under our victim privacy policy.
LIVE — May 20, 2026. Flash flooding has submerged streets in Bushwick, Brooklyn at the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Stockholm Street. Video shows water rushing down the block at levels that would reach above car wheel wells.
Source: Video posted on X
The Scene
The intersection of Wilson Avenue and Stockholm Street in Bushwick is completely submerged — water is flowing down the block like a river, reaching levels that would strand any vehicle attempting to pass. The video, shot at street level, shows the speed and volume of the water overwhelming the neighborhood’s drainage system.
Bushwick sits in a low-elevation section of northern Brooklyn where the combined sewer system — shared stormwater and sewage infrastructure dating to the early 1900s — regularly fails during intense rainfall events. The neighborhood experienced similar flash flooding during Hurricane Ida remnants in September 2021, when basement apartments flooded and multiple residents drowned.
Storm Path: Brooklyn → Queens → Nassau County
Tonight’s severe thunderstorm cell moved west to east across the metropolitan area:
- ~6:00 PM — Storm hits western Brooklyn (Bushwick, Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy)
- ~6:30 PM — NWS issues Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island (60 mph winds, penny-sized hail)
- ~7:00 PM — Storm pushes into Queens — Flushing Avenue in Jamaica flooded
- ~7:30-8:00 PM — Storm enters western Nassau County
- ~8:00-9:00 PM — Expected to cross central Nassau into western Suffolk
For Long Island: If this storm produced this level of flooding in Brooklyn and Queens, expect similar conditions in western Nassau County within the hour — particularly along Hempstead Turnpike, Merrick Road, and low-lying areas of the South Shore.
Tonight’s Storm Coverage
This is the fifth article in Long Island Traffic’s rolling coverage of tonight’s severe weather event:
- LaGuardia Sinkhole + Bronx School Bus Sinkhole — two sinkholes, two boroughs, one day
- LIE Wrong-Way Driver + DWI Plea — dashcam footage + same-day guilty plea
- Four Sinkholes in Seven Days — statistical analysis
- Severe Thunderstorm Warning — NWS alert + Long Island safety guidance
- Queens Flooding — Flushing Ave — Jamaica underwater
Storm watch continues through 6 AM Thursday. We are monitoring Twitter, 511NY, NWS, and PSEG Long Island for additional incidents as the storm pushes east across Long Island.
Were You Injured?
📞 (516) 750-0595 — Available 24/7