Overview
- A compact but intense convective system dumped heavy rain, hail, lightning and microburst winds that turned roads into rivers and trapped drivers in rising water.
- The storm, which dumped heavy rain Monday night, flooded sections of Route 208 and low-lying local roads and forced dozens of emergency calls for help.
- Hawthorne officials said crews answered more than 20 calls for service including 17 water rescues, while local reports differ about River Edge where outlets reported between five and nearly a dozen rescues.
- Secondary impacts included a lightning-triggered two-alarm fire in Ridgewood, marble-sized hail and destructive winds in Edison, and a downed tree that briefly suspended Pascack Valley Line service near Westwood.
- Cleanup and service restoration are underway and officials urged residents to avoid driving through floodwaters as forecasters keep a flood watch in effect and warn of more scattered storms.