Heavy Storms Bring Hail, Lightning, Floods That Leave Motorists Stranded
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A round of severe storms swept into the Tri-State Area Friday evening, bringing hail, lightning, and flooding that left cars submerged in at least one area.
Thunderstorms Friday evening dumped between 1 and 2 inches of rain per hour, leading to flash floods and major delays on the roads.
As CBS 2's Lonnie Quinn reported, another batch of heavy showers was expected to hit the area overnight.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued and later allowed to expire in parts of New Jersey. A flash flood warning was issued for Manhattan, as well as parts of Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Essex counties in New Jersey until 12:30 a.m.
PHOTOS: Photos: Severe Storms On May 23, 2014
The National Weather Service warned that the rainfall could cause flooding in small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, and underpasses.
The heavy and fast rainfall caused a nightmare for some motorists on U.S. 1 and 9 in Jersey City after a flash flood stranded several cars in water that reached the car doors, CBS 2's Tracee Carrasco reported.
Around 7:30 p.m. the heavy rains caused flash flooding, shutting down traffic in both directions.
Stranded drivers with no where to go had to wade through the water to get to safety, Carrasco reported.
"All the cars stopped, nobody could move, the cars started floating -- it got up to the seat," said stranded driver Julianna Acosta.
As of 10 p.m., police opened up the southbound side of the roadway, but as the waters receded traffic in the area was slow to recover.
Hail was also reported in many areas, including in Little Falls and East Orange.
The storms also brought delays to all of the area's airports. Thunderstorms delayed arrivals an average of 2 hours and 6 minutes at Newark Liberty International Airport, and 2 hours and 16 minutes at LaGuardia Airport.
Planes destined for LaGuardia were not allowed to depart until after 10 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Later in the night, conditions returned to normal at Newark and JFK, but delays of an hour or more persisted at LaGuardia, while delays of up to an hour were reported at Teterboro Airport.
The storms also prompted a sewage bypass that shut down six Long Island beaches. The beaches include Centre Island, Centre Island Sound, Soundside Beach, and West Harbor Beach in Bayville; Roosevelt Beach in Oyster Bay; and Laurel Hollow Beach in Laurel Hollow.
The rain, heavy at times, caused Major League Baseball to postpone the New York Mets game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Instead, the teams will face off at City Field on Sunday for a single admission doubleheader starting at 1:10 p.m.
Overnight, the temperature was expected to drop to 56 degrees as scattered showers continue. Saturday will be pleasant with a high of 72, but a chance of showers will persist, CBS 2's Quinn reported.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories:
