August 12, 1983

Thunderstorms dropped more than two inches of rain on New York City in four hours last night, knocking out service on almost half the subway system and causing scattered power failures and widespread flooding. The flooding caused delays of up to several hours at airports and extensive traffic jams on highways. Fierce gusts of wind blew off tree limbs and interrupted power to tens of thousands of homes throughout the city, New Jersey, Westchester County and Connecticut. Subway trains stalled as water cascaded into the tunnels and flooded platforms, isolating some sections of Queens and Staten Island for several hours. Passengers at stops throughout the city had to wade through ankle- deep puddles and frequently had to wait up to two hours for a train.

The Agriculture Department today lowered its projection for the 1983 corn harvest by more than one-third, an indication that the prices of meat and other foods could rise next year. The department said that it had cut its projection by about a billion bushels, because of the heat wave and drought in the Middle West. Most analysts believe that the lower harvest, which will push up prices for corn, the main livestock feed, will lead to reduced supplies of beef, pork and poultry and thus push up meat prices. Chase Econometrics, a consulting firm, predicted that the drop in corn production by itself would lift meat prices by 1 to 2 percent by the second half of 1984 and by 3 to 4 percent in 1985, in addition to some increases projected earlier for other reasons.

The Romans invaded Rochester today. Eleven hundred strong, the triumphant conquerors strode through the pouring rain in makeshift togas and tunics. Slaves pleaded in vain for their freedom before being sold to the highest bidder, then fed their new masters grapes at a banquet. Haughty Roman ladies lifted their dripping togas over puddles and nodded to senators and soldiers. They feasted on Roman dishes and ran in Olympic trials in a weeklong celebration of classical language and culture that marked the 30th annual convention of the Classical Junior League.

The nation's busiest air corridor, the 350 miles between metropolitan Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area, is going to get even more crowded after Labor Day. United Airlines, which already has 15 of the 57 daily departures between the two cities' flagship airports, said last month that it intends to add another nine, or enough to pull it ahead of Pacific Southwest Airlines, with 18. For United, the country's largest airline, the move reflects its desire to establish San Francisco as its third traffic hub after Chicago and Denver. But executives at competing carriers also expect United to go after the growing traffic at the increasingly attractive suburban airports in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.

The Economy The summer heat wave and drought in the Midwest have cut the projected 1983 corn harvest by more than one-third, the Agriculture Department reported. Such a shortfall could lead to higher meat and other food prices next year. Analysts estimated a rise of 0.5 percent in 1984 and 1.5 percent in 1985. They foresaw no serious food shortage or major increase in prices, however. (Page D1.) Business inventories fell 0.1 percent in June and sales rose 2.1 percent to a record $371.59 billion, the Commerce Department reported. As a result, the inventory-to-sales ratio fell to a record low of 1.36. Analysts predicted that efforts to add to inventories will provide a major spur to the economy in the third quarter. (D1.)