River Under 'Flood Warning' Near Chatham As Post-Ida Storm Looms

CHATHAM, NJ — With a couple of roads in Chatham now fully reopened after the Passaic River flooded them following Ida, the river by Chatham remains under a Flood Warning, according to National Weather Service forecasts, with a possible thunderstorm arriving on Wednesday.

In advance of the coming storm, the National Weather Service has posted a “Hazardous Weather Outlook” to Chatham forecasts, calling for “several instances of flooding” possible for Wednesday, “especially in urban and poor-drainage areas and near particularly vulnerable small creeks and streams.”

The latest National Weather Service forecast calls for the potential of over a half an inch of new rainfall from Wednesday into Thursday morning in Chatham, should there be thunderstorm activity.

The Flood Warning from the National Weather Service, which means flooding may be imminent, impacts the Passaic River within Morris, Essex and Passaic Counties, with the possibility for moderate flooding, as of 10:24 a.m. on Tuesday, especially in Morris County by Pine Brook.

The drone footage below shows how the Passaic in Chatham appeared on Saturday, Sept. 4.

The Passaic River by Chatham still hovered at the minor “Flood Stage” as of Tuesday morning at 11:15 a.m., when it was recorded at 5.91 feet, with Flood Stage set at six feet for that location.

The stage the river is currently in and is expected to remain at through the upcoming weekend is considered an “action” phase, according to the National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, meaning the river could be nearing the minor flood stage.

During the storm, the Passaic River's crests by Chatham may have been record-setting for that location. The river hit 8.41 feet on Sept. 1 at 11:30 p.m. as Ida passed through, which according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Historic Crests,” its highest measured in that spot was 9.36 feet on Aug. 2, 1973 and then its second on Jan. 9, 1905, when it reached 8.3 feet.

The National Weather Service statements made for its Hazardous Weather Outlook it issued Tuesday, including advising drivers to not “drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas,” echoed Chatham Township Police Department’s reports from Sept. 3, after drivers attempted to head onto closed Central Avenue, only reopened on Tuesday morning after Ida caused flooding.

Two cars were simultaneously swamped after driving onto Central Avenue after the storm, with another driver needing the fire department to rescue them from the flooded and shuttered street.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: [email protected].