A major storm slamming the Northeast is knocking out power and snarling travel

Parts of the Northeast are getting drenched by a major storm system Monday, with heavy rains, flooding and high winds knocking out power and snarling travel in several states.

Thunderstorms and severe winds were battering Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, while flash flooding warnings were in effect for parts of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

The National Weather Service said the Philadelphia metro area saw as much as five inches of rain early Monday, with minor coastal flooding occurring along the Jersey Shore and back bays.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said certain areas of the state had "several inches of flooding" and warned commuters not to drive through standing water or touch downed wires.

The NWS was also reporting high winds in Boston and eastern Massachusetts, with recorded gusts up to 59 miles per hour.

Earlier, federal weather officials were warning that heavy rains could cause localized flash flooding, particularly in urban areas and roads.

Power outages were widespread across the Northeast on Monday morning, with issues reported from Virginia to Maine, according to poweroutage.us.

Nearly 250,000 customers in Massachusetts had no electricity early Monday afternoon, while more than 178,000 customers were in the dark in Maine.

The storm system was also wreaking havoc on the roads and at airports across the region, where hundreds of flights were being delayed or canceled due to the weather.

Some 89 flights were canceled and 125 were delayed at Boston Logan International Airport, according to flightaware.com, while 82 flights were canceled and 55 were delayed at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.

A ground stop due to wind was also in effect at Boston Logan International Airport Monday morning through early afternoon.

The storm hit the mid-Atlantic and Northeast early this week after pummeling parts of the coastal South, dumping five inches of rain on parts of Florida and causing flooding in the Carolinas.

It was expected to north into eastern Canada by Monday evening, the NWS said.

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