Hurricane Irene Bringing Flooding, Winds Overnight

Hurricane Irene's hum became a growl late Saturday night, as heavy rain and high winds rolled in ahead of the center of the storm, which was expected to hit New Jersey early Sunday morning.

The area began to feel the more serious effects of the storm as night fell, with flooding and power outages reported throughout Gloucester County and the region.

Crown Point Road in West Deptford closed at Grove Avenue because of flooding after 11 p.m., and flooding was reported on major routes nearby, including the Route 130 ramp to the Commodore Barry Bridge, Route 295 in Bellmawr, where motorists were stranded in floodwaters, and Route 76 between Route 295 and the Walt Whitman Bridge.

More than four inches of rain had fallen at Philadelphia International Airport by 11 p.m., and wind gusts hit 52 m.p.h. at the airport just before 10 p.m.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said a total of 10 inches of rain is possible before Hurricane Irene clears out later in the day Sunday, and major flooding is likely from the storm. The Delaware River was over the nine-foot mark, well into flood stage, just after midnight.

PSE&G said at least 2,000 were without power in West Detptford as of 9:30 p.m., but that number dropped to below 2,000 by midnight. Neighboring towns, including Woodbury, Westville and National Park all had reports of up to 500 customers without power during the night.

NWS warned that tropical storm-force winds will hit the area by morning, with gusts up to 80 m.p.h., and said mobile homes–like those in Willow Woods and White Swan–are at the highest risk for damage, especially if they're not well-anchored.