Emergency personnel had to shut down four roads after the flooding Saturday afternoon
PRINCETON - West Windsor Township has declared a state of emergency after heavy rains and flooding left cars stranded and roads submerged in water Saturday afternoon.
The township and neighboring Princeton were both hit with a torrent of storm water and flooding that started around 3 p.m. Saturday.
Around 6:30 p.m., West Windsor Township declared the state of emergency, citing severe flooding and asking people to stay off of the roads.
West Windsor Police Lt. Robert Fow said there was flooding in a cafe in town and roads across the township were submerged in water. He added that cars were stranded on streets all over West Windsor but did not have an exact number of accidents Saturday night.
In Princeton, the afternoon's heavy rains forced the town to shut down four major roads by 5 p.m. Alexander Road - a road that connects Route 1 to the center of town - was largely submerged in water Saturday afternoon, according to Director of Emergency Services, Bob Gregory. Police and firefighters shut down a section of the road by the canal and another section closer to town after they had to rescue one person whose car was stuck in the water.
Canal Pointe Boulevard, which is closer to Route 1, was also shut down. Heavy flooding trapped one car on the road around 4:30 p.m. Saturday and emergency personnel were still working on a water rescue around 5 p.m.
Gregory said Quaker Road, which often floods in heavy rains, and Harrison Street were also closed Saturday afternoon.
As some emergency personnel were tending to trapped drivers in the flooded streets around the canal, others were focused on residents.
Gregory said firefighters had to evacuate one family from their home on White Lane in Princeton, which is a short distance from the canal, after the home filled with four to five feet of water.
He added firefighters and police officers are "keeping an eye" on Route 206, which is also seeing heavy flooding, and that they may close off the route if necessary.
Traffic around Princeton and West Windsor and on both north and southbound Route 1 was backed up and virtually unmoving around 5:30 p.m. Gregory said no power outages had been reported by 5 p.m.
Around 6:30 p.m. Saturday the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning that remains in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday night. They said up to five inches of rain had fallen in the afternoon alone and that the worst flooding has been along Route 1 between Princeton and Plainsboro.
Heavy rain & flooding in Lawrence Twp, NJ. Pic: Audrey Smith via @fresconews pic.twitter.com/WfPEARx1XJ
-- FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) July 30, 2016
This story has been updated to include information on West Windsor's state of emergency. It has also been updated to include a statement by the National Weather Service.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman