NEW YORK --
Heavy rains pelted the Tri-State area Thursday morning, flooding streets and highways and downing trees.An elderly man was seriously injured by a falling branch in Norwalk around 10:35 a.m.
Police, fire and EMS responded to a home on Rowayton Avenue, finding a 74-year-old man suffering from a serious head injury. Officers treated the victim, who was transported by Norwalk EMS to Norwalk Hospital with serious injuries. The branch in question fell approximately 40 feet.
In Brooklyn, a driver escaped serious injury when a tree fell on his car.
The man was able to pull over after the tree his vehicle near East 34th Street and Avenue H in Flatbush.
He was taken to a nearby hospital to get checked out. Workers responded and cut up the tree.
Parts of New Jersey and Long Island faced the brunt of the early storms, with a flash flood watch issued for most of Nassau and Suffolk counties until 6 a.m. Friday.
State Route 35 was flooded in both directions north of Sylvania Avenue in Neptune City. All lanes were closed.
Also in Neptune Township, heavy flooding was reported on routes 33, 35 and 66.
Officials were advising drivers to stay off roads and to not drive through water.
On Long Island, several locations along Sunrise Highway were washed out.
According to the Massapequa Fire Department, Broadway is flooded at Sunrise Highway underneath the train trestle. Firefighters helped walk people out of their cars that got stuck in flood waters.
Sunrise Highway is also closed in both directions with flooding near the Sunrise Mall. There were reports of cars stuck at that location as well.