Floods, heavy rain sweep northeastern U.S.

Millions of residents in Virginia and parts of nearby states were under flood watches on Tuesday morning, with more rain expected, according to the National Weather Service. Other flood warnings in most of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania expired overnight, but some flooding remained.

In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency on Monday due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall. A video from Scotch Plains, N.J., posted to social media by CBS showed buses stranded and a car partially submerged in a fast-flowing current. Crews performed a water rescue as several feet of water covered a multilane road. First responders also rescued about 30 people trapped in their homes in North Plainfield, N.J., a local ABC affiliate reported on Monday.

Flooding also hit New York City, causing several subway lines on Monday to suspend or delay service when several feet of water poured into stations and seeped into trains. The John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports experienced significant delays, and hundreds of people in all five boroughs lost power, according to the city’s emergency management office. While flooding and rainfall eased by Tuesday, residual effects and travel delays remained.

What other areas experienced flooding? Mount Joy in southeastern Pennsylvania declared a disaster on Monday evening after more than 7 inches of rain fell in under 5 hours. Emergency crews performed 16 water rescues, according to the local fire department. Homeowners reported significant property damage, though the waters were receding, the fire department said.

Numerous water rescues were also underway in the city of Petersburg, Va., on Monday night, according to the National Weather Service. More flooding in central and eastern Virginia was likely to occur on Tuesday, according to the agency.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the wildfire that burned 70 buildings on the Grand Canyon’s north rim.