Heavy rain turned a routine evening commute into a scramble across parts of New Jersey on Thursday, as sudden flash flooding swamped roads and left drivers stranded. According to Eyewitness News, forecasters issued a flash flood warning for parts of the area after downpours triggered dangerous flooding, with rushing water cutting off streets just as many people were trying to get home.
The rainfall totals behind the flooding were substantial. Meteorologists said radar estimates showed between four and six inches of rain had fallen, with the heaviest downpours concentrated over Middlesex and northern Monmouth counties during the late afternoon and early evening before the worst of the activity began to weaken.
Some of the most striking scenes came from Monmouth County. Video from Keyport showed water rushing across roadways and stranding some drivers right in the middle of the evening commute, an example of how quickly the fast-rising water overwhelmed low-lying streets as the storms moved through.
The flooding also forced major road closures. Officials said one lane of Route 1 southbound in Edison was shut down after water covered the pavement, and parts of the Garden State Parkway were closed as well, snarling travel on some of the state's busiest routes at the height of the evening rush.
In New Brunswick, the deluge left drivers and residents contending with water where it did not belong. Crews spotted a compact car stranded in a street that had turned into what looked like a pond, while a resident of an apartment complex called Glassworks filmed water that was more than a foot deep from her balcony. Firefighters were on the scene helping drivers who had become stranded.
By evening, forecasters said the flash flood warning was being driven less by rain still falling and more by the water already on the ground. They cautioned that the lingering standing water remained the main danger, urging people not to drive into any areas where water covered the road, since the depth can be deceptive and difficult to judge.
Looking ahead, meteorologists said the worst of the rainfall appeared to be over, even as a few scattered thunderstorms lingered that could still produce brief torrential downpours. Beyond that, they pointed to an improving pattern, with lower humidity and drier conditions expected to move in and set up a calmer, more comfortable stretch of weather heading into the weekend.