Heavy rain closes Jersey Shore roads

Heavy rains Thursday morning at the Jersey Shore closed down several roads, with a second round delivering an afternoon drenching.Despite near drought conditions around the state, it didn't take much for the heavy rains to flood out Route 35 in Neptune and Route 33 in Tinton Falls, according to New Jersey Fast Traffic. Flooding closed down a lane on Route 37 in Toms River near the Mathis Bridge heading into Seaside Heights and Route 79 in Marlboro.

The White Horse Pike in Winslow Township was also closed with high water on Thursday afternoon.

The New Jersey Weather and Climate Network shows that almost an inch of rain fell in Red Bank while nearly two inches fell in the Wall and Brick areas during the morning. The afternoon round of rain left nearly 3 inches of rain in Cape May County according to the National Weather Service while almost two inches fell in Mercer, Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, Burlington and parts of Salem County in anticipation of thunderstorms that could leave one to three inches of rain.

According to Meteorologist Dan Zarrow, "that means pounding of water is possible in urban areas, on streets and highways, and other low-lying areas.  Never attempt to walk, drive or swim through flooded areas."

FlightAware.com reports two hours delays at Newark, JFK, LaGuardia and Philadelphia airports. NJ Transit trains are running on schedule but flooding has suspended the RiverLINE between the Walter Rand Transportation Center and the Waterfront Entertainment Complex in Camden. The rain could have an effect on buses caught on flooded roadways.