NJ Drenched By Heavy Rain, Flight Delays

Heavy rains were soaking New Jersey on Saturday, just one week after another massive storm system dropped up to two feet of snow on the state.

While no major problems were being reported by late Saturday afternoon, minor to moderate flooding had occurred at several small creeks, streams and areas with poor drainage. And stretches of some major southern roadways _ such as Route 322 and the Black Horse Pike - were closed for several hours due to flooding.

Meanwhile, water levels were rising in some major waterways - mostly in southern areas _ as milder temperatures associated with the latest storm helped melt most of the snow that fell last weekend.

The Cooper River in Haddonfield had risen above flood stage by late afternoon, while the south branch of the Rancocas Creek had risen by four feet during the day and the southwest branch in Medford was up nearly six feet.

The rain began falling Christmas night and was expected to continue through early Sunday. About an inch of rain had fallen in most areas by 4 p.m., while some southern areas had already seen nearly 1 inch.

Flood warnings were in effect for Atlantic and Ocean counties until at least 8 p.m., and in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties until at least 10 p.m.

The weather was also causing problems at some of the region's airports. Arriving flights were being delayed up to 75 minutes were at Philadelphia International.

Conditions were expected to improve somewhat on Sunday, with some sun expected while highs remained in the mid to upper 40s. But lows Sunday night were expected to be around 30 degrees in most areas, with a slight chance of snow showers during the overnight hours.