Torrential rain buckles Route 22, Thursday commute a mess

Commuters could still face some challenges on Route 22 following a rain-soaked afternoon commute that flooded out the road.

Meteorologist Dan Zarrow says 4 to 5 inches of rain fell Wednesday afternoon in the Scotch Plains-Plainsfield area in western Union County in a short period of time, creating instant lakes on Route 22 as the jersey barrier acted as a dam.  One area picked up 8 inches of rain from the downpour.

CBS New York reports snow plows were used to remove some of the water from flooded out roads in the area. Parkside Avenue in Berkeley Heights and and Mountain Avenue in North Plainfield were also hard hit. A wall at a parking lot at Weldon Quarry in Watchung collapsed bringing concrete and mud on top of several parked cars according to ABC 7. Lanes on I-78 were also flooded out causing multi-mile delays.

Flooding was also reported in parts of Ocean County when a strong area of storms pushed across the area.  According to Manchester Township Emergency Management Coordinator Art Abline, water rose two feet in some spots, especially Barcelona Court, Eleanor Road and Ambassador Drive, which caused an ambulance on a call to get stuck in the deep water.

Zarrow expects another round of thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon with a steadier rain for most of the state developing in the evening continuing into Friday.

Tom Mongelli contributed to this report