Region in for spate of rainy days

After weeks of below normal rainfall, the New Jersey region appears to be in for a thorough drenching. Several days of rain also are predicted for the Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, areas.

 

State climatologist Dave Robinson says a midweek cold front could bring 1 to 2 inches of rain to most of New Jersey, helping wells and soil moisture recover from a 7-inch rainfall deficit since July.

“That’s the kind of rain we haven’t seen in quite some time,” said Robinson. “We’ve been very dry, and 1 to 2 inches would be very welcome. Of course, if it falls in a short period of time, we could have some localized flooding of roadways and such, but the ground is so dry, there’s no broad flood threat from this system.”

If Tropical Storm Joaquin moves up the coast, Robinson said, high surf, strong winds, and floods are possible later this week.

“I’m not saying that Sandy part two is coming, but we certainly can get into all sorts of trouble even with something of a weaker nature than Sandy,” he said. “So all eyes and ears should be out in the next couple of days as we see what’s going to come of this.”

It’s uncertain what path that storm will take, he said.

“Some of the models have suggested it coming on shore in New Jersey in a Sandy-like manner in terms of its track, not its strength,” Robinson said. “At this point. there’s no suggestion it’s going to merge with a developing nor’easter into this monster of a storm.”