'Flood Watch' In Effect For Chatham Over Halloween Weekend: See Forecast

CHATHAM, NJ — After a Nor’easter swept through earlier in the week and left close to four inches of rain in Chatham, Chatham faces a “Flood Watch” in the upcoming Halloween weekend, the National Weather Service reports.

According to the National Weather Service’s forecast for Chatham, the Flood Watch is in effect through 6 a.m. on Sunday, Halloween morning.

After the storm kicked in on Friday night and temperatures dropped back overnight to 51 degrees, on Saturday, temperatures are expected to head back to 63, with light winds of no more than 10 mph and up to a quarter inch of rain in the afternoon.

On Saturday night into Sunday, temperatures are anticipated to dip to about 50, with another half-inch of rain possible into Halloween morning.

On Halloween, sunny skies are expected to be back in time for trick-or-treating, with light winds between 5 to 10 mph and a high of 62 degrees.

As part of the Flood Watch, rain will be intermittent through Saturday in Chatham with the Passaic River already high from the previous storm, with a Flood Watch and Warning - meaning flooding could be imminent - simultaneous for the river as of Friday night.

At 4:15 p.m. on Friday, the river was at 5.64 feet, with flood stage six feet, according to the Middle Atlantic Forecast Center of the National Weather Service.

As part of the Flood Watch and Warning for the Passaic River, the National Weather Service recommends those living near the river “should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.”

Click here to view an interactive hydrograph of the Passaic River by Chatham from the USGS, including time-lapsed, real-time images.

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