Bergen County, N.J. takes a beating during fast-moving storm featuring torrential downpours

Parts of New Jersey took a pounding when storms moved in Monday night, causing major flooding and downed power lines.

First responders were kept especially busy in Bergen County.

Some drivers said it started out as a light drizzle but quickly turned into a wild downpour that turned roadways became rivers.

The evening commute turned treacherous as the severe weather caught drivers by surprise. It was a scramble on Route 4 in Teaneck, where the water came down hard and fast.

Getting around got even trickier in Hackensack. Temple Avenue looked more like a waterway as multiple vehicles got trapped in high waters.

"That was it. It just came down real quick. Personally, I wasn't ready for this," River Edge Fire Chief William Sanders said.

The River Edge Swift Water Rescue Team jumped into action, rescuing nearly a dozen people along Kinderkamack Road who became trapped in their vehicles during the torrential downpours.

Heavy rain flooded the northbound lanes of 208 at Goffle Road in Hawthorne, shutting down the highway and stranding drivers.

Traffic was backed up for hours.

Over in Edison, a blistering microburst brought destructive winds and marble-sized hail onto one roadway, nearly toppling trees.

The winds were just as aggressive in Wyckoff, where downed powerlines sparked a fire along Cedar Hill Avenue near 208.

All of it was just the first round of what's expected to be a busy week for the region. More heavy rain is expected Tuesday.