Strong rain storms lashed the East Coast Thursday, delaying flights throughout the region and prompting emergency rescues of motorists trapped in deep water on busy highways from the Philadelphia area to New York City.

In New York, flash flooding briefly closed sections of major roadways across the city just as the evening rush hour approached, and the commuter rail system into suburban Long Island suspended service on one of its busiest lines.

Traffic cameras and social media posts on a highway in the New York City borough of Queens showed motorists at one point standing on the roofs of their stranded vehicles and a tractor trailer nearly fully submerged. The waters eventually receded and traffic slowly resumed, but officials still pleaded with people to say home. Rain was expected to fall through the night.

In Pennsylvania, National Weather Service issued warnings for up to 3 inches of rain in an hour and the downpour produced flooding in the streets of Reading. One video online showed water pouring down a city street, rising halfway up a parked car, and rendering a busy commercial intersection nearly impassable as waters rose into a car’s wheel wells.

In Maryland, emergency responders rescued multiple people from flooded vehicles in communities northeast of Baltimore.

Officials there also preemptively closed roads prone to flooding, shuttered schools and libraries early and opened emergency shelters as more thunderstorms were expected across Maryland into the evening. Flood watches and warnings were issued across the state.

Flash flood warnings were up for parts of New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia, while states of emergency were declared in New Jersey and New York City, where state workers were sent home early.

Airports in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia all reported significant flight delays and cancellations.