Cranford, Other Union County Towns Drenched By Ida

CRANFORD, NJ — Cranford and nearby areas were still under a flash flood warning Friday — and Union County continued to clean up — after Tropical Depression Ida dropped heavy rain on the area, causing flash floods.

[SEE UPDATE: Rain Totals Were Higher In Cranford Than Other Nearby Towns: Spotters]

"At 551 a.m. EDT, Flooding is ongoing in portions of the warned area," said an advisory for Union County for Friday. "Several rivers and streams remain in minor to moderate flood. Between 5 and 8.5 inches of rain fell across the region from the remnants of Ida." See the watches and warnings for the area here.

See photos of Cranford's flooding above.

In nearby Westfield, three people were rescued from a school roof and more than 30 cars were submerged.

While some may consider flash floods just an inconvenience, these floods have proved fatal to drivers (sometimes trapping parents and children in their cars as water rises) and to children playing near small streams.

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Severe storms are becoming more frequent. In fact, Hurricane Elsa in July 2021 was the earliest E-named storm in modern weather history.

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