At least two people have died due to flash flooding in New Jersey after parts of the northeastern U.S. and mid-Atlantic were inundated with heavy rain Monday night. The storm caused flash flooding in areas of New York, central Virginia and New Jersey that gushed through subway stations, stranded vehicles and prompted a state of emergency.
Flood watches and warnings are still in effect through Tuesday evening for most of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., according to the National Weather Service.
Through Thursday, portions of the eastern and central U.S. are facing “scattered to widespread thunderstorms capable of heavy downpours and flash flooding,” the weather service said in its n most recent update on Tuesday.
New Jersey
A car in floodwaters in Plainfield, N.J., on Monday. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Two people died in Plainfield, N.J., due to the flash flooding, WABC-TV reported. A vehicle was swept into Cedar Brook during the peak of the heavy rainfall. The names of the victims are not being released until their families are notified. While emergency crews responded in a timely manner, both people were pronounced dead at the scene.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency Monday night due to “flash flooding and high levels of rainfall in parts of the state.”
Route 22 and Route 28 are closed in both directions in Somerset and Middlesex counties to make emergency road repairs and clear debris from the storm, according to a New Jersey Department of Transportation traffic advisory.
On Tuesday morning, several bus lines and at least one train line on New Jersey Transit were taking detours or were delayed, according to officials. The PATH trains that run between Manhattan and New Jersey appeared to be operating with minimal delays.
New York City and surrounding areas
Subway service was operating with some delays on Tuesday morning’s commute, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, after some lines were temporarily suspended and others were operating with severe delays due to flooding. A video circulating on social media appeared to show flooding from a station platform onto a subway car.
The Metro-North Railroad, a commuter rail system that connects New York City with suburban areas outside the city, including Connecticut, said in a social media post Tuesday morning, “Service is restored into and out of Grand Central after severe flooding throughout the region disrupted the evening rush hour. Expect residual delays as we work to get train service back on schedule.”
Early Tuesday morning, runoff from Monday’s rain caused the Bronx River to rise to a moderate flood stage of about 3.7 feet, according to the NWS’s New York office. By Tuesday afternoon, it’s expected to drop below flood stage.
A state of emergency was declared in New Jersey on Monday evening as heavy rains flooded parts of the state. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
