Effects From Lee’s Remnants And Katia Provide Rain And Rough Surf

The day after Labor Day here in New Jersey brought not only another round of rain, but also rough surf along the coast.  As predicted the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee brought heavy rainfall to much of the Garden State, especially flood prone areas to the north and west.  The rain was unwanted after the wettest month on record including the deluge from Hurricane Irene.

The heaviest rain stayed off to the west of the Garden State with as much as 7 to 8 inches falling in parts of Central Pennsylvania.  However, rainfall amounts still climbed up to 4 inches in parts of Northern Jersey, which are now expected to have more flooding along the notorious Passaic River.  Other rivers such as the Raritan, Millstone, and Rahway are having minor to moderate flooding.

Here in South Plainfield, there was 2.74 inches of rain with over two thirds of it occurring between the hours of 1:00 and 9:00 PM on Tuesday.  With the 0.01 of an inch that fell before midnight, the storm produced a total of 2.75 inches so far with more rain expected over the next couple of days.  With the latest rain, there has been 23.26 inches of rain in Northwestern Middlesex County since mid-June.  

Helping to mitigate the rainfall totals in the Garden State for the rest of the week will be the track of Hurricane Katia, which is expected to move between the East Coast of the United States and Bermuda as the week progresses.  The storm’s path is going to keep the heavy rainfall to the west in Pennsylvania and upstate New York.  Another effect from Katia is going to be felt more and more along the coastline, and that is dangerous surf.

Much of the East Coast of the United States is under a high rip current risk according to the Weather Channel.  GWC was down at Sandy Hook, and captured video footage of the rough seas.  Right now, wave heights are 4 feet along the Jersey Shore, and that will probably increase as the storm makes its closest approach the Garden State by Thursday and Friday.  GWC and Hurricaneville plans to be back down along the coast to take in the waves over the next couple days.