Rain pelts northeast U.S.; Central Park gets 4 inches

NEWARK, N.J. – A sixth straight day of rain from a storm that has parked itself over New Jersey snarled traffic Wednesday, delaying flights and causing flooding that was only expected to worsen.

Several northeastern states have been hit with heavy rain in the past week, including New Hampshire, where three people have been confirmed dead in floodwaters and four others remained missing.

The National Weather Service canceled a flood watch for New Hampshire on Wednesday, but said the already saturated area could see 3 to 6 inches of rain in the next few days.

“It’s not a good situation at all,” said Tom Hawley, National Weather Service hydrologist in Gray, Maine. “Chances are better than 50 percent for renewed small-stream flooding.”

New Jersey remained under a flood watch, and streams and rivers in several areas were overflowing by midday. Minor to moderate flooding was expected, with rain expected to continue through Saturday.

Business districts in Hackensack and Princeton were experiencing flooding, high water in Jersey City caused delays approaching the Holland Tunnel. Arriving flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed by as much as five hours because of rain.

In New York City, the storm dropped more than 4 inches of rain in Central Park between midnight and 9 p.m. Wednesday, and more rain was expected through today, according to the weather service.

At LaGuardia Airport, 35 flights were canceled due to the steady downpour.