Residents in parts of the U.S. as far flung as New Jersey and Texas were contending with the devastating effects of heavy rain and thunderstorms that swept through their communities Thursday night.The storms are being blamed for at least three deaths in central New Jersey,

At least three people were killed by felled trees overnight Thursday as violent storms ripped through central New Jersey. A pair of men, aged 25 and 79, were driving through Plainfield when a tree crushed their vehicle, taking numerous power lines down with it sometime between 6 and 7 p.m., officials said.

Some residents in the Northeast are spending their July Fourth holiday cleaning up from strong thunderstorms that swept through the region