UPDATE: Andrea's Effects Felt in New Jersey

Heavy rain began to move into New Jersey by mid-afternoon Friday, as Tropical Storm Andrea made its presence known.

The storm made landfall in Florida late Thursday night, then began a rapid push to the northeast toward the Garden State, prompting statewide flash flood watches, flood warnings and a small craft advisory in coastal areas.

Roads in Ocean County began to flood by 3:30 p.m., leading to heavy traffic in Long Beach Island as cars darted in and out of streets to avoid ponding rainwater. Similar delays were reported in Seaside Heights and other communities.

Reports from the New Jersey Department of Transportation just before 5 p.m. indicated flooding on I-195 eastbound near exit 6 in Robbinsville, flooding on Route 35 northbound in Point Pleasant Beach and a downed tree on I-80 westbound near Madison Avenue in Paterson.

On Route 72 in Stafford, flooding was reported near Recovery Road, forcing the closure of one westbound lane which caused a 10 minute delay.

A flash flood watch remains in effect until 8 a.m. Saturday morning, along with a small craft advisory and a gale warning for offshore waters. Seas were expected to build to 5 to 8 feet offshore by Friday night. A flood warning was in effect for several northwestern counties in New Jersey due to the threat of river flooding there.

The most recent forecast from the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly calls for between 1 and 2 additional inches of rain to fall Friday night, with winds sustained at about 25 m.p.h. Showers will linger into Saturday with the chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon.