More than a foot of rain hit parts of New York's Long Island on Wednesday, enough to set a preliminary state record, triggering flash floods and swamping cars on major roads that were turned into rivers during the morning rush hour.

 

Much of the rain fell during a particularly intense, two-hour burst while commuters were traveling to work.

 

A total of 13.26 inches (33 cm) of precipitation was measured at MacArthur Airport in Islip. That is believed to be the most to have ever fallen in any area of New York during a 24-hour period, said Christopher Vaccaro, spokesman for the National Weather Service.

 

The standing record of 11.6 inches (29 cm) was set in August 2011 near Tannersville in the Hudson Valley during Tropical Storm Irene.

 

The stormy weather contributed to at least one fatality.

 

A parking lot at a train station in Bay Shore was covered with at least two feet (61 cm) of water. In areas of Long Island, cars were submerged up to their windows. Fire boats were being deployed for rescue operations.

 

Flooding also forced the closure of the Long Island Rail Road, the nation's largest commuter railroad, in both directions on a stretch near Port Jefferson, the transit agency said on its website. The shutdown caused one-hour delays on other routes.

 

Residents of Millville in southern New Jersey were evacuated from homes that collapsed in the rains, American Red Cross spokeswoman Laura Steinmetz said. Some 22 people living in the Vineland Housing Authority, also in Millville, were forced out of their homes due to sewage backup caused by flooding, Steinmetz said.

 

Flash flood warnings for Long Island were lifted in the morning, but the warnings remained in effect in southeastern Connecticut as the rainfall traveled to the northeast, Vaccaro said.

 

 

PHOTO: A resident watches as emergency personnel drive their truck through a flooded intersection in Islip, New York August 13, 2014.

Credit: Lucas Jackson