Heavy rains that pounded the region caused road floodings, closed some routes and temporarily stranded some motorists. 

A flood advisory issued by the National Weather Service for New London County remains in effect until 6 a.m. on Friday.

By 6 p.m. Thursday, New London had received 2.52 inches of rain, according to Gary Lessor, meteorologist with the Western Connecticut State University Weather Center. 

Lessor said that the city could get up to a total of three inches by Friday morning.

But he emphasized that rain is something we need given the moderate drought in the region.

About 4:20 p.m., Mona Harmon pulled in to the parking lot of the Jasmine Thai Restaurant at 470 Bank St. and stepped out of her car to survey the water flowing down Bank Street.

The road was closed at the time and she had a 5 p.m. hair appointment at Water House Salon at 136 Bank St. She watched one compact car plow through the water and abruptly stall in the middle of the road.

"Who would have believed in this drought this could happen," she said.

With umbrella in hand, Harmon proceeded to walk on the edge of the sidewalk toward her destination.

The water on Bank Street receded as fast as it rose, thanks in part to pumps pulling water from street drains into a nearby holding tank, which in turn dumped the water into the nearby harbor.

The 7-11 on Broad Street had about three inches of water on the floor inside.

A female employee at the store said that staff members were using brooms and dust pans to get the water out, mainly using the drain in the back of the store.

About six cars were stranded at one point in the parking lot of the 7-11, the employee said.

At its worst, the water outside of the store was up to pumpers' waistlines. The employee was unsure of any damage to the store.

The Liquor Closet on Broad Street was closed around 6 p.m., earlier than usual, and water could be observed on the floor inside.

By 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Broad Street, which was flooded a couple feet deep, was clear of water but muck was smeared throughout the road.

There were various road closures in New London, Groton, Waterford and elsewhere throughout the late afternoon and evening and police cautioned motorists to avoid driving through pools of standing water.

Mullen Hill Road between Gallup Lane and Spithead Road in Waterford was blocked off due to part of the road collapsing.

Karen Ferrara, administrative officer with the Waterford Emergency Management Department, said the dirt underneath a section of the middle of the road washed away and black tar was coming up.

Clark Lane Middle School and Waterford High School both saw flooding, but it was unknown to what extent.

Beth Sullivan of Stonington said she was traveling on I-95 during the downpour and got off on a local road to get home.

"It was terrible," she said. "You could not see, and there was water flowing across the road. You could feel the car slipping." 

Rainwater poured in to the back entrance of The Public Library of New London during the downpour, flooding the downstairs area with up to four inches of water.

Suzanne Maryeski, executive director of the library, said that part of the building has flooded before "but never to this extent."

The back door off State Street was blocked with sandbags Thursday afternoon, with signs directing patrons to the Huntington Street entrance. 

Maryeski said the carpeting in the community room was soaked and that a cleaning service would be contacted, and the elevator was shut down until it could be checked for water damage. Five boxes of books donated for a sale also were damaged.

The children's area and main collections rooms on the first floor were not affected, however.

"Mainly, people were just inconvenienced," Maryeski said.

Due to the heavy rainfall, the Stonington Shellfish Commission closed two conditional shellfishing areas: Area A and Outer Quiambaug Cove.

These areas will remain closed to the harvesting of clams, oysters and mussels for a minimum of seven days.

To determine the status of the shellfishing areas, call the Stonington Shellfish Commission's Information Line at (860) 599-7575.

j.benson@theday.com

Twitter: @BensonJudy

j.bergman@theday.com

Twitter: @JuliaSBergman