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A flash flooding siege in the Northeast.

Flooding killed at least 50 people in the New York region a couple weeks ago.

The floods were caused by the storm previously known as Hurricane Ida.

That storm got powerful when it formed over abnormally warm water in the Gulf of Mexico.

And when the hurricane hit Louisiana, it had powerful winds.

But by the time it got to New York, it was all about the rain.

For the first time in recorded history, the National Weather Service issuing a flash

flood emergency for all five boroughs of New York City, more than seven inches of rain

in just a few hours.

Waterfalls pouring down station stairs, trains pulling into fine platforms submerged, people

waiting through waste-tie water.

The night of the storm, the mayor of New York told residents to avoid the subways in a city

where millions of people rely on them.

Climate change means more flooding in subways.

In New York is just the latest.

It's happening all around the world.

And that means cities are racing to keep the water out.

I'm Rebecca Hirscher, a climate reporter at NPR.

And I'm Lauren Summer, also a climate reporter at NPR.

Today on the show, subways provide crucial transportation for millions of people and

their magnets for climate-driven flooding.

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