Storms down trees, cause flash flooding in New Jersey
MORRISTOWN, New Jersey (WABC) -- Residents in New Jersey said Monday's storm was like a tornado that brought pounding hail and flash flooding.
In Morristown, residents said golf ball-sized hail fell for 30 minutes and smashed cars.
The surge of rain caused flash flooding on I-287, generating waves as tractor-trailers crawled along the highway. New Jersey DOT crews looked more like water rescue teams.
Residents say the flash flooding caused the water to come halfway up several parked cars, causing extensive damage to vehicles.
"The whole interior was ruined, I wasn't able, I didn't really wanna mess with the trunk or anything like that, I mean the interior was just flooded," said resident Spyro Mantzas.
RELATED | AccuWeather forecast for the tri-state area
Mother Nature also downed trees all around town.
"The water came in, It was going sideways, the hail was huge and I heard that crack and that tree went right down," said resident Jim Horan.
The heavy rain also caused flash flooding in Hackensack.
In East Rutherford a house was struck by lightning. Neighbors said it looked like the chimney exploded.
"Lit up the whole street, stepped outside and I looked over on the roof, and all I saw was bricks," said neighbor Bart Chlewicki.
About 18,000 lost power in New Jersey during the storms.
Storms fueled by hot and humid conditions will continue into midweek.
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