The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for 11 New Jersey counties because of the threat of heavy rain showers and drenching thunderstorms from the moisture-packed remnants of Tropical Storm Debby.
Forecasters say the rain could trigger rapid flooding on roads and highways on Friday, and also could cause some rivers, streams and creeks to overflow because many areas of the state are already saturated from this week’s heavy rain and lighter rain that fell last week and last weekend.
The flood watch is effective Friday morning through 1 a.m. Saturday in Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Salem, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties, along with northwestern Burlington County and southeastern sections of Pennsylvania, including the counties of Delaware, Philadelphia, eastern Montgomery and lower Bucks.
In addition to the flood watch, 17 counties in New Jersey remains under a tornado watch through 2 p.m. Friday, along with eastern and central Pennsylvania and all of Delaware.
A flood warning or a flash flood warning is more urgent than a watch, so drivers and pedestrians should avoid flooded streets and move to higher ground if a warning is issued.National Weather Service
Scattered rain showers have been hitting parts of New Jersey every day since July 31, with the heaviest blast of water coming Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning, when some areas were pummeled with as much as 4 to 7 inches of rain in several hours.
The National Weather Service says the state could get an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain by Friday night, and those amounts could go even higher in areas that get hit with drenching thunderstorms.
New Jersey also faces a threat of isolated tornadoes and winds gusting up to 35 to 50 mph in coastal areas and 30 to 40 mph in interior sections Friday and Friday night. At the beaches, there’s a high risk of dangerous rip currents.
A flood watch is not as urgent as a flood warning or a flash flood warning, but it indicates there’s a potential for heavy rain that could quickly cause water to rise high on local streets and highways, especially near swollen streams and rivers.
Forecasters say drivers and pedestrians should avoid flooded streets and move to higher ground if a flood warning or a flash flood warning is issued.
Current weather radar
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NJ Advance Media staff writer Jeff Goldman contributed to this report.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.
