Rt. 35 In Hazlet Flooded; Power Outages In Lincroft, Keansburg

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — Hazlet and Union Beach have so far been the worst hit by flooding Tuesday morning, and there are power outages reported in Lincroft and Keansburg, according to Jersey Central Power & Light.

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, flooding has shut down Rt. 35 and Bedle Road in Hazlet, as well as Poole Avenue and Mason Drive, Florence Avenue near the Wawa, Middle Road and Brookside Avenue and Clark Street, said Hazlet Police.

In total, Hazlet PD responded to 15 flooded drivers Tuesday morning. All of them were able to get out of their cars safely — some with minor assistance from officers. Hazlet Police were begging people to stay home Tuesday morning and particularly avoid Rt. 35, Middle Road and Florence Avenue, as all are impassable due to flooding. Subscribe to Patch: https://patch.com/subscribe

"Fire and police personnel have been assisting trapped motorists all morning and continue to assist those who choose to ignore the cones blocking roadways," said Hazlet Police at 9:30 a.m.

In Middletown, there are reports of some flooding in low spots, "but we are at low tide so that water will go out very quickly," said Middletown Mayor Tony Perry. Rt. 35 southbound in Middletown between Tindall Road and Twin Brooks Avenue is closed due to flooding as of 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Union Beach is currently experiencing flash flooding. In Holmdel, Crawfords Corner Road by Holmdel High School was closed due to flooding but it's now reopened.

Hazlet schools were initially on a 90-minute delay but the flooding is so bad in that town they just closed down entirely for the day; this was just announced at 9:45 a.m.

Middletown and Matawan-Aberdeen schools are operating normally. Many school districts in NJ have closed entirely Tuesday due to the storm; here's the full list: https://itv.news12.com/school_...

South Amboy is also experiencing flooding, and the "Hole in the Wall" tunnel at North Stevens Ave. and Ridgeway Ave. is entirely flooded.

The Cliffwood Beach section of Aberdeen also experienced flooding. Aberdeen Road and Ravine Drive also flooded, said Aberdeen Twp. spokesman John Roman.

Rutgers is holding classes online Tuesday.

An estimated 100 customers are without electricity right now in Lincroft, 20 are out in Keansburg and there are pockets of outages elsewhere. The area with the most customers out is Lincroft.

A flash flood warning remains in effect through 11 a.m. Tuesday for eastern Monmouth County, and a flash flood watch remains in effect for the entire state until 8 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, rain will be heavy at times and is expected to continue through much, if not all, of the day Tuesday.

"Coastal areas of Middlesex and Monmouth counties as well as areas north of Interstate 78 are at the greatest risk of flash flooding," reported NJ.com and wind gusts could be 25 to 35 mph along the Jersey Shore Tuesday night.

Widespread rain totals of 2 to 4 inches are likely, with locally higher amounts possible. Flash flooding of creeks, streams, urban areas and areas of poor drainage is possible with the heaviest rain.

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725 am: Severe flash flooding is occurring in northern Monmouth County right now, specifically in the Union Beach area eastward to Middletown. Do not drive onto flooded roadways, and heed all road closures! #njwx
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) October 26, 2021