Drought-Busting Downpour?
Torrential Rains Hammer GWC on Wednesday Afternoon
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Could this be the one? Is this the drought-busting downpour that we have all been waiting for? Perhaps, but one day’s rain doesn’t end a drought. For every step forward, there can be two steps back. Nevertheless, the torrential rains that hammered Greg’s Weather Center on Wednesday afternoon were still quite remarkable.
From 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Wednesday, GWC received 1.21 inches of rain. The maximum rainfall rate during the span was 4.14 inches per hour at 3:14 PM. More rain fell during that two hour period than in the entire month of January (0.46 of an inch). Over six times the amount of rain fell during this deluge than the last 18 days of April combined. Combined with yesterday’s rain, a total of over two inches of rain fell.
This afternoon’s cloudburst shattered many marks so far in 2025. It was the most rain during a 24-hour period (1.93 inches), one calendar day (1.86 inches), and two-day span (2.14 inches) this year. More rain fell on Wednesday than during than during the entire month of February (1.75 inches). The unsettled weather dominated much of the past two weeks, but the storms that previously developed had underperformed.
Last week had two storm systems come through. The storm on May 5-6 was supposed to bring anywhere from one to three inches. However, only less than a third of an inch fell at GWC. Another storm system that came in on Thursday and Friday was projected to produce another one to two inches. The forecast fell short as only another third of an inch dropped in the bucket.
Earlier this week, three straight days of great spring weather emerged. After plenty of sunshine and pleasant temperatures, the gray and gloom returned. Along with it was a cynicism about whether or not this latest storm would produce a lot of rain. From April 12th to Tuesday afternoon, only 1.38 inches of rain fell at GWC. An average of about 0.04 inches per day had fallen.
This storm would over-perform. Although the Storm Prediction Center had indicated that New Jersey and much of the Mid-Atlantic was under a marginal risk for excessive rainfall during this period, Wednesday afternoon’s downpour was a surprise. The heavy rain came up from the south and west, where there already had been torrential rains in Western Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania.
The rainfall resulted in chaos around Middlesex County. The afternoon deluge flooded streets in the Clara Barton section of Edison, NJ. A water main break south of Randolph Ave on Route 1 and 9 North closed the right lane. A flash flood warning was issued for Northern Middlesex County at about 4:15 PM and stayed in effect until 7:30 PM.
A Flood Warning was in effect for towns along the Passaic River in Morris and Union counties including Chatham, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights. Around Northwestern Middlesex County and adjacent areas, rainfall totals from this afternoon’s downpour ranged from over three-quarters of an inch in Sayreville to over three inches in North Edison, Scotch Plains, Watchung, and Woodbridge.
According to the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly, NJ, the forecast is calling for a chance for more rain on Thursday and Thursday night. The next best opportunity for rain is on Friday morning. There are indications that an MCS may roll through portions of the Garden State early Friday morning with a 70 percent chance of rain. Another opportunity for severe weather could be on Saturday as well.