Stagnant weather pattern responsible for record rain for many cities on the east coast.

States of emergency were declared across parts of the northeast United States on Monday as flooding continued in the region.

The eastern seaboard has been the prime target for warm, moisture-laden air flowing in from the south due to a predominantly stalled weather pattern.

An area of high pressure has also stayed parked in the Atlantic and a deep-diving jetstream remains across the Central Plains.

Over the weekend, localised torrential rainfall led to street flooding in several cities across the northeast, including in Boston and New York City’s suburbs in Long Island.

In Long Island, rescuers pulled people from stranded cars after more than five centimetres of rain fell in just 40 minutes. Many major streets and highways were closed due to the flooding.

Cleanup efforts began on Sunday across New York and New Jersey, where thunderstorms and heavy downpours also caused widespread flooding and damage.

Floodwaters partly submerge a van in Darby, Pennsylvania [Matt Rourke/AP Photo]





On Monday, severe thunderstorms with torrential rain moved through the Washington, DC and Baltimore metro areas during the afternoon rush hour.

In Philadelphia, bus and train services were delayed along major routes. About 100 flights from the city’s major airport were also canceled on Monday, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

This summer has been so wet that many daily and monthly records have been broken across the region.

In Baltimore, only 1889 has seen a wetter year than this one so far. About 109 centimetres of precipitation has been measured through mid-August at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

The northeast will experience a short break from the rain this week, but continued wet and showery weather is expected to continue through the end of the month.