Widespread storms moving through the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Thursday brought periods of intense rain and flash flooding that swamped streets and subways in New York and snarled air travel across the East Coast. But by early evening, much of the region appeared to have been spared more serious flooding.

Strong rain storms lashed the East Coast Thursday, delaying flights throughout the region and prompting emergency rescues of motorists trapped in deep water on busy highways from the Philadelphia area to New York City. In Pennsylvania, National Weather Service warnings of up to 3 inches of rain in an hour produced flooding in Reading.