Worst. Traffic. Ever.

There's very little hyperbole in that heading. Between the rain, flooding, accidents and rush hour traffic, this was the worst gridlock I've ever been in as a driver since I got my license.

The proof? A commute home that normally takes 35 mintues took 2 hours and 30 minutes -- delays so substantial that they wound up contributing to the cancellation of tonight's Unsung Heroes rehearsal.

The irony was that the rain was really not that bad by the time I hit the roads, but according to my employer, it was enough to knock out most of the main north-south thoroughfares in Westchester County -- including the usually traffic-defiant Metro-North train system:

Flash floods wreak havoc on region
By THE JOURNAL NEWS
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: June 29, 2005)

A fierce thunderstorm is lashing the region with rain, forcing Metro-North Railroad to shut down the Harlem Line north of North White Plains and causing intense flooding that has already knocked out a number of roadways in the area.

The following sections of highways were reported closed as of 6 p.m., according to WCBS-2:

• Saw Mill River Parkway from Grant Street to the New York State Thruway via Interstate 287
• Northbound Sprain Brook Parkway at Route 100 in Hawthorne
• Taconic State Parkway at Stevens Avenue in Mount Pleasant
• Bronx River Parkway at Main Street in White Plains
• Route 9A at the Saw Mill River Parkway in Hawthorne

In addition, flooding had closed down the right lane of westbound I-287 just past exit 4 in Greenburgh, and all lanes of the Hutchinson River Parkway at Lincoln Avenue in Mount Vernon were subject to closures due to extensive flooding.

Motorists also were being rescued from their stranded vehicles along many area roads.

Meanwhile, Bee-Line buses were reporting delays between 15 and 30 minutes.