Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency on Monday evening as torrential thunderstorms quickly flooded parts of New Jersey.
“I am declaring a State of Emergency given flash flooding and high levels of rainfall in parts of the state,” Murphy said just after 7:30 p.m.
“Please stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. Stay safe, New Jersey.”
The rainwaters were quickly inundated parts of the state.
Video clips posted to X and Instagram showed flash flooding in New Providence, Scotch Plains, and a stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike in the Linden area, among others.
Good news on the horizon
New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said just after 8:30 p.m. that the heaviest rain had already moved from Northeast New Jersey, which faced the highest flood risks.
That will allow flood waters to start to recede, although it is still raining there — adding to the 4 to 7 inches0 that already fell around Union County earlier,” Zarrow said.
Zarrow said the storms would continue in Central and South Jersey until about midnight.
“Still lots of treacherous and even impossible travel this evening. Be very careful out there, and just stay put if you can.”
MORE FROM DAN ZARROW: How to protect your home before a flood strikesPower outages
With wind speeds not being a major factor in this storm, power outages at 9 p.m. were limited to a few hundred addresses for JCP&L and PSE&G, the state’s two largest electric utilities.
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Gallery Credit: Sophia Laico