Liam Stack

Me checking Twitter each morning

⛈️ Heads up, New York: thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected Tuesday into Wednesday, and localized flash flooding is possible. Rain may start as early as Tuesday morning, but the main event is Tuesday evening. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms are most likely between 4 PM and 11 PM, with showers lingering overnight before clearing out by early Wednesday morning. Most of the city will see 1 to 1.5 inches of rain, but spots that get hit with repeated downpours could see 2.5 to 3.5 inches. That's enough to cause flash flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas, plus ponding on roads and underpasses. The strongest storms could also bring wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph, capable of causing damage, downing tree limbs, and even some hail. If you live in a basement or a home that floods frequently, know your exits and be ready to move to a higher floor when heavy rain begins. Never stay in or re-enter a flooded basement. Never drive, walk, or swim through floodwaters. Turn Around, Don't Drown. If you hear thunder, go inside and stay away from windows. And bring in or tie down anything loose outside: trash cans, furniture, umbrellas. No watches or warnings are in effect right now. We'll keep you posted as the forecast develops. Check weather.gov/nyc for the latest and sign up for alerts at nyc.gov/notifynyc. 📲

10:00pm: One final update for the night! Scattered showers and a few embedded storms are still hanging around the area. One more round may move through in the late evening/early morning hours. By morning, the front will clear the area with a beautiful day expected tomorrow.

12:30pm: Many areas in and around the NYC Metro area have seen 2-3" of rain in the last hour as a result of heavy thunderstorms. Another round is on the way from the west. The flash flooding situation could get worse here over the next few hours before it gets any better.

⚠️ Today brings two hazards to NYC: poor air quality this morning, then rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. 🌧️ Showers move in between 10 AM and 1 PM, with heavier downpours through the afternoon. Severe storms expected to arrive between 3 and 7 PM, with a second round between 8 PM and midnight. It may not affect every part of the city the same way, mild where you are may be worse elsewhere. Regardless of severity, all storms are always inherently dangerous. Storms may bring heavy rain of 1 to 2 inches per hour, damaging wind gusts of 55 to 70 mph, hail, and widespread lightning. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. 🌊 A Flood Watch is in effect from 10 AM today through 2 AM tonight. If you live in a basement or a home that floods frequently, know your exits and be ready to move to a higher floor when heavy rain begins. Never stay in or re-enter a flooded basement. Do not drive, walk, or swim through floodwaters, including flooded subway stations and underpasses. ⛈️ If you hear thunder, go inside. Move away from windows, and secure loose outdoor items now before storms arrive. 😷 An Air Quality Alert is in effect until midnight. Air quality is currently Unhealthy and may reach Very Unhealthy late this morning before rain arrives. Limit strenuous outdoor activity, especially if you have heart or breathing conditions. 📲 Sign up for alerts at nyc.gov/notifynyc or text NYC to 692-692. Call 911 in an emergency and 311 for City services.

10:45am: The first of several rounds of storms is approaching Northern NJ and NYC. These are currently producing heavy rain, lightning and some blustery winds.

Tomorrow will bring severe storms to New York City. Thunderstorms are expected to bring damaging winds strong enough to down trees and power lines, along with heavy rainfall that could cause flash flooding. These storms can develop with little warning. Sign up for emergency alerts by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 so you can get updates as conditions change. If a storm hits, head indoors immediately. If you need to travel, use extra caution. And please check in on your neighbors, especially New Yorkers living in basement apartments. The City is preparing now, and every New Yorker should do the same. Visit nyc.gov/beready for tips on how to prepare and stay safe.

FWIW, the first known use of the Wordle word today was in 1607.

How did it come to be a socially acceptable fact of New York life that enjoying something popular involves waiting for over an hour? There have long been serpentine lines in New York City for the sorts of experiences you can't get anywhere else: Broadway tickets, skyscraper observation decks, Cronuts. This summer's lines, though, can seem borderline ludicrous: three to a street, blocks long, often for the types of things you can get almost anywhere in the city, like bagels, pizza, and pastries. They emerged slowly over the past few years and then, like a flood, a cumulative effect of TikTok constantly showing all of us what we are missing out on in our very own boroughs. The temptation is almost too strong — why not take the train 15 minutes to figure out if that slice of pizza is as good as everyone on your “For You” page is telling you it is? “It’s herd mentality,” one young woman, nearly rolling her eyes at herself for joining the hype, told Brock Colyar at Myka, a froyo chain. Now, especially along the Brooklyn waterfront and much of downtown, people wait for an ever-diversifying assortment of viral sweet treats, all the while petting each other's dogs, gossiping, minding their toddlers, checking Slack, and scrolling their remaining time in line away. Naturally, some New Yorkers are getting persnickety about the situation. As the haters’ thinking goes: waiting in line is lemming-like tourist behavior, what you do pissily at Disney World. (At least there you can pay for a fast pass.) Others champion the line people. “I don’t like when people make fun of the people who stand around in long lines,” the downtown writer known as Sotce recently wrote on her Substack. “Some people read Substack, some people wait in a line. Some people have vintage denim and read books by dead people. And really we all die.” For our latest cover story, Brock Colyar tackles the city's overwhelming line culture — talking to the people who revile the lines, the people who revere them, and the business owners who get hate mail over them even as their livelihoods depend on them. Read it, while you inevitably wait in line yourself: nymag.visitlink.me/YOVOIg

The Trump administration issued subpoenas to New York Times journalists who wrote about the new Air Force One, an escalation of pressure on the media. nyti.ms/44k07x4

The Israeli military confirmed the authenticity of a photo of a stripped and bound detainee that circulated online after it was reposted by a Palestinian activist, who wrote that an Israeli soldier first shared it. Rights groups said it depicted a war crime. trib.al/0IMeHsR

Ex-girlfriend of Graham Platner says he removed condoms without consent during sex washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/…

Planning something special? Learn more about hosting your next private event with us! 💌: bkse.com/rent-our-venue

every swiftie today:

The NYT is live blogging all things Taylor Swift. I’m outside MSG where it is very, very hot: nytimes.com/live/2026/07/0…

NEWS: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells me she is endorsing Abdul El-Sayed, her first Senate primary endorsement of 2026 in critical Michigan. Her thinking, the Schumer collision, the state of the race, the left's emboldened moment and more—> nytimes.com/2026/07/02/us/…

all the celebrities barricaded together in a giant arena during a historic blackout-risk heat wave IS a good set up for a dystopian sci-fi novel

BREAKING: You can get the best view in NYC without a felony. Buy tickets: esbo.nyc/socials-x

So here's a little scoop: you know Goose, that new gay dating app? It's apparently been using a network of AI-generated Instagay accounts to lure dudes onto the app. Here's what we learned in our @WIRED investigation: 🧵

JUST IN: After two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and unfurled a banner on top of its spire Wednesday afternoon, one of the climbers appeared to propose to the other. abcnews.link/G4bdme1

The memo is titled “Taylor Swift wedding at Madison Square Garden." nytimes.com/2026/07/01/nyr…