Severe Storms Bring Floods, Knock Down Trees In Tri-State Area

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Balmy temperatures befitting of mid-July gave way Saturday to severe thunderstorms that left trees and wires on the ground in some parts of the Tri-State Area.

The day started with sunshine, as bikers and runners broke a sweat in Central Park as the temperature hit 83 degrees. But late Saturday afternoon, dark clouds rolled in over Manhattan and the Hudson River.

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Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in the late afternoon and early evening in New York City, parts of New Jersey, and Fairfield County, Connecticut. The warnings had all expired by the late 6 p.m. hour.

But the storms were strong enough to bring a tree down onto a car in Fairview, N.J., CBS 2 reported. There were also reports of downed trees and power lines in Somerset County, N.J.

The storms also brought serious flooding to some areas. CBS 2's Andrea Grymes reported via Twitter that major flooding was seen on the westbound Grand Central Parkway just before the Robert F. Kennedy Triborough Bridge in Queens.

Strong storms with lots of lightning persisted on Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley persisted as of the 6 p.m. hour, CBS 2 Meteorologist Elise Finch reported.

Showers and thunderstorms were still expected to be a possibility through the evening, and pop-up thunderstorms could continue into the early morning hours Sunday, Finch reported.

But by 8:30 a.m., the front bringing the storms was expected to pass and skies were expected to clear for Mother's Day, Finch reported. The high was expected to hit 80 degrees Sunday with some well-deserved sunshine.

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