Cleveland Park Metro station reopens after flooding turns it into a waterfall

Metro released video showing flooding at the Cleveland Park station in Northwest Washington during a severe storm in D.C. on June 21. (Video: WMATA)

Metro’s Red Line trains had to temporarily bypass Cleveland Park Tuesday evening because of flash flooding. The station was closed for nearly two hours until the water was drained and cleared at about 8:30 p.m.

“The station is prone to flooding because it is at the bottom of a hill,” said Metro spokeswoman Sherri Ly. “In these extreme weather situations, we get flash flooding.”

The flooding turned escalators into waterfalls and forced commuters to slog through standing water.

You have GOT to be kidding. Don't go chasing waterfalls at the Cleveland Park metro @wmata @unsuckdcmetro #Unreal pic.twitter.com/LwNqxQNMmN

— Christin Fernandez (@Senorita_Dez) June 21, 2016

Photos and video shared from riders across social media showed a waterlogged stairway and escalator, with several inches of standing water on the ground.

One rider described the steps as looking like a “water park attraction.”

Ly said the rainwater did not cause damage to the tracks or third rail. Ly did not have an estimate of how much water had accumulated inside the station.