As Hoboken Streets Flood, Mayor Says To Stay Home And Off Roads (Photos)

HOBOKEN, NJ — With several streets in Hoboken flooding amid strong thunderstorms Monday night, Mayor Ravi Bhalla asked residents to stay home and off the roads.

(UPDATE: Photos and information from the next morning are here.)

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in New Jersey around 7:30 p.m. Monday, as residents reported submerged cars on highways in North Jersey. READ MORE: State Of Emergency Declared In NJ As Serious Flooding Reported

Meanwhile, Hoboken residents told Patch and reported on social media that the city's low-lying areas — including near the southern border with Jersey City and the uptown streets near ShopRite — were flooding as they have before.

While the city is in the process of erecting storm surge barriers at both ends of town as part of the federal "Rebuild by Design" project, and the 900 block of Monroe Street near ShopRite has been repaved, some of the other streets in that area — like Ninth Street — were flooded by 8 p.m. (see photos).

The city's Office of Emergency Management wrote at 7:39 p.m., "UPDATE: We have deployed barricades in some areas. Residents are strongly encouraged to please stay off the roads if possible. Heavy rain is expected to continue."

The city has said that Hoboken floods during storms with more than 0.8 inches of rain per hour. Up to 3 inches of rain were expected in North Jersey on Monday night.

In addition, the city has not yet reached high tide, when waters are likely to rise.

• High tide in the Hudson River in Hoboken and downtown Jersey City is expected at 12:08 a.m.

• High tide in the Hackensack River near Jersey City and northern Secaucus is expected around 12:36 a.m.
  

The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch from 2 p.m. until midnight. The NWS said:

"Excessive runoff may result in flooding of urban and poor drainage areas as well as quick responding small rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations."

Never try to drive or walk near floods, as several people have lost their lives across the country during flash floods. http://www.weather.gov/safety/...

Click the links below for the forecast, to see the storms on radar, and to check updated warnings and watches.

Track The Storm

• Keep an eye on the radar here.
  
• Check out the Accuweather Minutecast here.
• See a current map of all watches and warnings in New Jersey here.
  
• The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) keeps us informed about larger weather events. Follow them here.

Updated NWS forecasts, watches, and warnings in each county:

• Bergen County here
• Essex County here
• Hudson County here

What about the rivers? This NWS map of the United States will show the potential for river flooding.