BATON ROUGE — Flash floods swamped the Baton Rouge metro area Saturday night as polls closed for elections throughout the region.

Motorists were stranded along roadways across the area, including on U.S. 61 north of the city, near the intersection of Airline Highway and Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge and along La. 68 in East Feliciana Parish.

Officials advised people to avoid Essen Lane between I-10 and I-12; the right lane is blocked on I-10 West at Essen Lane due to an accident.

Weather officials reported water surrounding homes on Plains-Port Hudson Road in Zachary; additionally, high water and stranded vehicles were reported in the Westminster area of Baton Rouge.

High water is also covering the road at Blecker Drive and Pine Crest Drive, and the intersection of Essen Lane and United Plaza Boulevard is covered. Summa Lane between Essen Lane and Picardy Avenue is covered in high water.

The Storm Station meteorologists said 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain had fallen in areas north of Baton Rouge and that another 1 to 3 inches of rain were expected.

Heavy showers hit the area shortly after 6 p.m., forcing LSU to postpone athletic contests it had on campus. The storms also came as voting ended for the day in an election across nine of 13 parishes in the WBRZ viewing area.