Storm batters Northeastern US with rain and wind, knocking out power and flooding roads

NEW YORK (AP) — A storm barrelled up the East Coast on Monday, flooding roads and downing trees in the Northeast, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, and forcing flight cancellations and school closures.

More than five inches (13 centimetres) of rain had fallen in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania by mid-morning, and parts in several other states got more than four inches (10 centimetres), according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts reached nearly 70 mph (113 kph) along the southern New England shoreline.

Power was knocked out for more than 500,000 customers in an area stretching from Virginia north through New England, including nearly 140,000 in Massachusetts and 119,000 in Maine, according to poweroutage.us. Maine's largest utility, Central Maine Power, reported 17 per cent of its customer base was without power.

The weather service issued flood and flash flood warnings for New York City and the surrounding area, parts of Pennsylvania, upstate New York, western Connecticut, western Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire and Maine.

Trees and power lines fell in many areas, including some that landed on homes and cars. In the coastal town of Guilford, Connecticut, about 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of Hartford, a tree fell on a police cruiser but the officer escaped injury, officials said. Certain roads throughout the region were closed due to flooding or downed trees.

"Check your route before your morning commute, don't drive through standing water, and don't touch downed wires," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy posted on X. "Remember: Turn around, don't drown."

In northeastern and central Pennsylvania, heavy rain that fell overnight flooded ponds, streams and creeks in several counties, forcing authorities to close several major roadways.

The Delaware River spilled over its banks in suburban Philadelphia, leading to road closures. In the suburb of Washington Crossing, crews placed barriers along roadways and worked to clear fallen tree limbs. Seven people died after flash flooding in that area over the summer.

Many flights were cancelled or delayed across the region. Boston's Logan International Airport grounded all flights Monday morning because of the poor conditions, leading to more than 100 cancelled flights and about 375 delays, according to the flight-tracking service FlightAware. At New York City area airports, nearly 80 flights were cancelled and more than 90 were delayed.

Some schools in the Northeast closed or delayed their openings, and commuter rail systems were reporting weather-related delays.

"Take mass transit and stay off the roads if possible," New York City Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X.

In New York City, high winds caused the temporary closure of the Verrazzano Bridge. It reopened later Monday morning, but with a ban on large vehicles. Rhode Island officials also were prohibiting tractor-trailers on the Newport Pell and Jamestown Verrazzano bridges over Narragansett Bay because of the wind.

State government officials urged people to avoid travelling and driving on flooded roads.

In western New York, several inches (centimetres) of lake-effect snow were expected Monday night into Tuesday as temperatures drop.

The storm moved up the East Coast on Saturday and Sunday, breaking rainfall records and requiring water rescues. It brought unseasonably warm temperatures of more than 60 degrees (16 degrees Celsius) to the Northeast on Monday.

Monday's rain and wind came a week after a storm caused flooding and power outages in the Northeast after spawning deadly tornadoes in Tennessee.

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