Heavy rain brings flooding, power outages to Princeton area

Additional showers and thunderstorms are possible before conditions improve Monday night

A flood watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. Monday for Mercer County and much of the surrounding region.

Quaker Road is closed until further notice because of flooding. Drivers should use an alternate route.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to taper off after 5 p.m., with a chance of rain continuing until about 7 p.m. in the Princeton area, according to the National Weather Service.

A flash flood warning was issued for Mercer and several surrounding counties Monday morning after between 1 and 4 inches of rain fell in parts of the region. The warning remains in effect until 2:45 p.m.

Forecasters said rainfall rates could reach 1 to 3 inches per hour through Monday evening. Another 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible, bringing localized rainfall totals to between 3 and 5 inches.

Excessive runoff could flood rivers, creeks, streams, streets, underpasses, and other low-lying areas, according to the National Weather Service. Flooding was already occurring in parts of Central Jersey, with road closures reported in North Brunswick and South Brunswick.

Princeton Theological Seminary closed its main campus and the Farminary for the day because of a major transformer failure serving the area.

As of Monday afternoon, five outages were affecting 62 customers in Princeton. Power was expected to be restored by 9:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service urged drivers not to enter flooded roads. Most flood-related deaths occur in vehicles. Turn around, don’t drown.