Flash floods hit several cities and towns south of Boston Thursday morning as historic rain brought traffic to a crawl and clogged streets and highways during rush hour.With rain coming down so fast,

Several Massachusetts communities south of Boston received as much as over 5 inches of rain, with flooding closing several streets and parts of Interstate 93.

Portions of Interstate 93, a 190-mile-long highway that connects Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, were closed because of flooding, the Massachusetts State Police said. Several vehicles were stranded on the highway because of floodwaters, local news media reported.