Heavy rain floods New York subway stations as Storm Elsa nears

There were dramatic scenes in New York City on Thursday as thunderstorms and heavy rainfall flooded streets and inundated subway stations.

Video shared on social media shows someone standing in knee-high water on a major Manhattan road and water gushing into a subway station. Commuters are seen wading through the murky water underground.

The extreme weather came as the region was bracing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa, which has been moving up the US east coast and lashing Florida and Georgia with dangerous wind and rain.