Route 35 turned into a river in two Monmouth County towns Friday morning as a flash flood warning covered southern Monmouth, northern Ocean and northern Burlington counties until 11 a.m. Flooding shut down roadways, stranded drivers and dumped several inches of rain across the region in just a few hours, prompting repeated warnings for motorists to stay out of the water.
The National Weather Service warning named Toms River, Long Branch, Asbury Park, Lakewood, Jackson, Howell, Tinton Falls, Manasquan, Point Pleasant Beach, Lakehurst and Farmingdale as communities that could see flooding, according to app.com. By mid-morning, the forecast had become reality: flash flooding was reported across portions of Monmouth County, with Route 35 in Belmar and Route 71 both closed, the outlet reported.
Road closures piled up fast along the shore. Flooding shut down all southbound lanes of Route 35 south of Route 88 in Point Pleasant Beach at 8:09 a.m., and just minutes earlier, at 8:02 a.m., all northbound lanes of Route 35 north of Route 138 in Wall went under water too, according to a separate app.com report tracking the storm in real time.
Rainfall Totals Climb Through the Morning
Rainfall estimates varied depending on location and timing, but the numbers were substantial everywhere. As of 9:30 a.m., preliminary data showed 3 to 4 inches of rain had fallen in parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties, per nj.com. A weather-service alert cited by defconlevel.com similarly noted that more than 3 inches had fallen earlier that morning, with flooding still ongoing across portions of Monmouth County and northern Ocean County as of 9:14 a.m., even as the heaviest rain had already moved out of the area.
A different flash flood warning, issued by the National Weather Service in Mount Holly at 6:12 a.m. Friday, covered Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties further south, according to the Courier Post. In that warned area, between 1 and 2 inches of rain had already fallen, with rainfall rates expected to reach 1.5 to 2.5 inches per hour and another 1 to 2 inches possible on top of that, the paper reported. Nj.com also noted that up to an additional 2 inches of rain was possible in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties as the system pushed through.
More Flooding, Outages and Closures Reported Statewide
Downpours and lightning were creating problems well beyond the Jersey Shore corridor Friday, according to News 12, which reported rainfall accumulations of nearly 1 to 2 inches and rainfall rates reaching 1.5 to 2.5 inches per hour in the areas it was tracking. The outlet reported that flooding closed one of two right lanes and the right shoulder on Route 42 northbound south of Greentree Road in Washington Township, Gloucester County.
In Edison Township, News 12 reported that downed wires caused the closure of Colton Road in both directions between Route 27 and Raleigh Road, with drivers advised to detour via Sanders Road until further notice. The outlet also reported power outages tied to the storm, with PSE&G reporting 15,652 customers without power across New Jersey and JCP&L reporting 624 customers without power.
Rain was expected to taper off Friday night, though light rain could linger into Saturday in far northern counties, nj.com reported. Until then, the guidance from forecasters remained unchanged: if you encounter floodwaters, turn around and use another route, app.com reported, echoing the broader message from News 12 that drivers should not attempt to drive through water and should avoid flooded roads altogether.
