NJ Nor’easter Timeline: Heavy Rain, Winds, Anticipated Outages

NEW JERSEY — Another round of heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected to fall across the Garden State on Tuesday as a coastal storm moves through the region.

As of Tuesday morning, 10 counties are under a flash flood warning, while another 11 are under a flash flood watch. The 10 counties under a warning are home to 6.3 million of 9.3 million residents, Gov. Phil Murphy said, adding that rain totals between four and five inches in some areas are still possible before Wednesday.

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More than 3 inches of rain have fallen in some parts of New Jersey, with another 1 to 2 inches of rain expected to fall Tuesday, the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office said in an updated morning briefing.

While the risk of severe thunderstorms has decreased, stronger wind gusts could develop throughout the day, the weather service said. The primary hazard in the storm is heavy rain that could lead to flooding. The heaviest rain is expected to fall along and north of the I-78 corridor and along the northern coast.

A flash flood watch remains in effect for most of the state through 8 p.m. Some areas are under flood warnings, which indicate imminent threats, according to the service.

Here are the counties named in the warning:

• Monmouth
• Ocean
• Middlesex
• Somerset
• Morris
• Hunterdon
• Mercer
• Warren
• Sussex
• Bergen

Flash flooding of creeks, streams, urban areas and areas of poor drainage is possible with the heaviest rain.

Flash Flood Warning including South Plainfield NJ, Somerset NJ, Morristown NJ until 8:15 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/AD3FleL32c
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) October 26, 2021

Murphy declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm on Monday night at 8 p.m.

"Severe weather conditions will impact the state starting tonight through the next several days,” Murphy tweeted.

As of early Tuesday morning, several roads were impassable in Ocean, Monmouth, Somerset and northwestern Middlesex counties. The Millstone River in Somerset County is forecast to reach flood stage later today.

During a press briefing on Tuesday morning, Murphy noted that government offices in the state are set for a delayed opening at 11 a.m. NJ transit trains are on or close to schedule with the exception of the Raritan line and North Jersey buses are using predetermined flood routes. Read more: Flooding Delays Raritan Valley Train Line Up To 90 Minutes

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected until the early hours of Wednesday morning, with winds between 20-25 mph are expected today (with the exception of 30-40 mph gusts along the Shore, especially in the late afternoon and early evening). Power outages can be expected with the entire Shore under a gale warning.

Roughly 3,200 power outages were reported in the state - mostly in Monmouth County - as of 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, Murphy said. Jersey Shore residents are urged to report any power outages by calling JCP&L at 1 (888) 544-4877.

Several schools throughout the state announced delays and closures due to the ongoing flooding:

• Rutgers University, New Brunswick (Virtual)
• Hazlet Township Public Schools, Hazlet (Closed)
• Bergen Community College, Paramus (Virtual)
• Ramapo College, Mahwah (Virtual)
• Jersey City Public Schools (Closed)
• Golden Door Charter School, Jersey City (Closed)
• Lakeview Learning Ctr, Wayne (Closed)
• Our Lady Czestochowa, Jersey City (Closed)
• Passaic Public Schools (Closed)
• People's Prep Charter School, Newark (Delayed start)
• Piscataway School District, Piscataway (Delayed start)
• Saint Peter's Prep, Jersey City (Closed)
• Mendham Boro, Mendham (Delayed)
• Secaucus Public Schools, Secaucus (Closed)
• Shepard Schools, Morristown (Delayed start)
• South Brunswick Schools, Monmouth Junction (Delayed start)
• St. Helena Elem, Edison (virtual)
• St. Peter Elementary School, Belleville (Closed)

As of Tuesday morning, state troopers have responded to 188 accidents and 81 motorists aid calls, Murphy said, noting the importance of flood safety and turning around when water levels are impassable.

“Let me just say this: use your common sense, folks. If you can’t get to work safely, and you work for the state, please work from home,” Murphy said.

“Where it rains, it can flood,” Murphy said. “As we learned tragically last month, floods just don’t happen in low-lying or coastal areas. With a heavy downpour, any creek or stream can become a river ... Flooded roads can have currents swift enough to wash a car and its passengers away.”

As of 10 a.m., a slew of main roads were closed or saw at least one lane shuddered due to the flooding:

• NJ 35 southbound on CR 689/Lawrence Parkway in Old Bridge is closed
• New Jersey Turnpike southbound south of Interchange 12 - Carteret-Rahway in Woodbridge has one right lane blocked.
• I-78 eastbound east of exit 29- I-287/US 202/US 206 in Bedminster has two left lanes closed.
• NJ 35 southbound in Aberdeen is closed.
• NJ 70 eastbound of CR 632/Brick Boulevard in Brick has two right lanes closed.
• NJ 71 southbound near Main Street in Manasquan is closed.
• NJ 35 southbound near CR 4/Holmdel Road/Main Street in Hazlet has one left lane closed.
• NJ 45 northbound near CR 652/Giscolm Lane in Deptford has one right lane closed.
• US 22 westbound CR 655/Bonnie Burn Road/Park Avenue in Scotch Plains is closed.
• NJ 10 westbound near Emery Avenue in Randolph is closed.

Additional tidal flooding is possible in coastal areas with the high tide cycle on Tuesday. Seas are expected to build to around 10 feet, according to the National Weather Service, with the worst conditions predicted Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning at the Jersey Shore and along the Delaware Bay. Winds are expected to strengthen along the coast starting Tuesday night.

Here's the latest forecast:

Tuesday: Rain, mainly before noon. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 66. Southwest wind around 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 52. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A chance of rain before 7am, then a chance of showers between 7am and 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Breezy, with a north wind 10 to 20 mph.