Flood Warnings Hit NJ As Power Outages Linger For Thousands

Flood warnings have been issued Monday ahead of another round of storms in New Jersey, as thousands of residents remain without electricity from the July 4th weekend storms.

Several towns have closed roads due to flooding from the heavy rain that started hitting the state about 11 a.m., including in Burlington, Camden and Monmouth counties.

A flood watch is in effect through 8 p.m. for much of the Garden State, with Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties lasting until Tuesday morning.

"Rain rates of over 2 inches per hour will be possible with urban, low-lying areas, and areas that were hit hard with rainfall this past evening seeing the best chance for flash flooding," the National Weather Service said in its Monday morning update.

Additionally, flash flood warnings are in place in parts of Cumberland County, Gloucester County and Salem County until 1:30 p.m., and in parts of Mercer, Somerset and Hunterdon counties until 1:15 p.m. They also have been issued in Ocean and Monmouth counties until 3:45 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

The thunderstorms come as more than 50,000 homes and businesses remain without power from powerful storms that ripped through the Garden State on Friday and Saturday. Some areas were not expected to see power restored until Thursday or Friday, according to officials with Jersey Central Power & Light and PSE&G, the two largest power companies in the state.

"It's the tree damage that's driving everything," said Chris Hoenig, a spokesman for JCP&L. "We had hundreds of trees that came down; we've had hundreds of broken poles and miles of wire that need to be replaced due to tree damage." Read more: Thousands In NJ Still Without Electricity From July 4th Weekend Storms

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to become more widespread during the afternoon but are not expected to be severe.

Showers and storms will diminish through Tuesday, forecasters said.

"Some additional showers are likely for Tuesday but they are not expected to be heavy so no further flooding is expected," forecasters said.

Sunny skies and seasonable temperatures are expected Wednesday.

The chance of showers and storms will return Thursday and Friday, according to the latest forecast.