Thousands lose power, major roads flooding as nor'easter batters NJ

The nor'easter that started barreling its way through New Jersey has left thousands of people in the dark and those that are trying to get home navigating through flooded roads.

More than 14,000 people across the state were without power in the early evening. JCP&L reported more than 9,000 customers without power as of 6:35 p.m. PSE&G reported another 1,561, and Atlantic City Electric reported more than 3,000 out.

While trains on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line were shut down earlier in the day, service had been restored with "significant delays" early in the evening commute. New Jersey Transit buses and PATH were cross honoring tickets.

In southern New Jersey the Atlantic City Rail Line was suspended between Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and Cherry Hill because of a bridge being stuck in the open position, as of the early evening. Busing was also being provided there, and PATCO was accepting New Jersey Transit tickets.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority announced a speed restriction of 50 MPH from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to south of Interchange 7A Monday evening, Earlier in the day there were reports of high winds on the Hudson and Delaware crossing bridges including the Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross Bridges to the south, and the Goethals, and Outerbridge Crossings to the north.

Flooding was also becoming an issue on the roads. In Belmar, on Route 35 South near Route 71, the right lane was closed because of flooding. There was a downed tree and downed wires on NJ 54 in Hammonton near Route 30, causing all lanes to be closed and detoured.

The National Weather Service had also issued several warnings and watches throughout the state, including high wind warnings along the coast and coastal flood warnings in other areas as well. Many of the advisories last at least through the night, with some going into Tuesday morning which could affect the commute for motorists.

Keep updated through the storm:

ON THE RADIO: Listen to New Jersey 101.5 anytime on air, online or on your phone by downloading the New Jersey 101.5 app. (In addition to weather and news updates, we’ll be playing music all weekend)

SOCIAL: Follow New Jersey 101.5 on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Message us with questions and what you’re experiencing where you are. We’d love to see your pictures of the snow!

WEATHER: Keep an eye on Dan Zarrow’s blog. Unlike some weather forecasters, Dan’s now about to hype news he’s not sure of. He’ll tell you what he knows, what he does’t, and why — there’s no better way to keep on top of the storm as it develops.

TRAFFIC AND ROADS: Visit NJ1015.com/traffic for current alerts, and download the New Jersey 101.5 app to get notifications as traffic issues pop up. The New Jersey Department of Transportation issues alerts through 511nj.org.

MASS TRANSIT: NJ Transit issues advisories at NJTransit.com and on Twitter @NJTransit. (New Jersey 101.5 will also share news of alerts on Twitter, Facebook and the New Jersey 101.5 app as well)

POWER: PSE&G customers: See PSE&G’s power map for outages and report downed trees, gas leaks, other emergencies or outages to 800-436-PSEG. JCP&L customers: See JCP&L’s map for outages. Call in issues to 888-LIGHTSS or report your outage online. Atlantic City Electric customers: See Atlantic City Electric’s map or call 800-833-7476 for any issues.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS: Announcements are updated in real-time at NJ1015.com/closings. Are you a school official? You can register your district at the link as well.

STATE EMERGENCY ALERTS: The state Office of Emergency Management issues alerts on Facebook and Twitter.

COMMUNITY ALERTS: Many New Jersey towns use the Nixle system to send alerts. Many others use Everbridge. Check those services and your municipal website for more information.

USING A GENERATOR? Here’s how to keep safe. Carbon monoxide poisoning caused five New Jersey deaths in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com