The tropical-like downpours triggered flash flooding, stranding some motorists and forcing them to abandon their ride.

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 Pennsylvania, National Weather Service warnings of up to 3 inches of rain in an hour produced flooding in Reading.

Dangerous torrential rainfall and flash flooding are underway in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast Thursday with millions at risk along the Interstate 95 corridor. It’s shaping up to be another serious flood event in a summer that’s been full of them.

Widespread storms moving through the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Thursday brought periods of intense rain and flash flooding that swamped streets and subways in New York and snarled air travel across the East Coast.