Remnants of Ophelia Return for Stormy Start to Weekend
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Last Saturday, Tropical Storm Ophelia paid a visit to the Mid-Atlantic region including Central Jersey, and for much of the last week, it has lingered. Its remains may be saving the best for last though. After dumping 3.40 inches of rain on GWC in South Plainfield, NJ, and higher amounts further south last weekend, Ophelia’s remnants are set to return and produce even higher amounts.
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey indicates that portions of Central Jersey will receive between 2 and 4 inches. Northwestern Middlesex County is in this area. Other parts of Central Jersey, especially those further east towards the coast could see up to 6 inches of rain. The models have been all over the place with this one, especially the NAM, which indicated amounts rivaling those from Hurricane Ida’s remnants in September 2021.
Speaking of September 2021, do you realize that GWC and other locales in Northwestern Middlesex County received over 10 inches of rain that month? Approximately 7.38 inches of rain came from Ida’s remnants alone on the first day of the month. So far this month, a collection of storms including rains from Ophelia have produced 7.24 inches of rain. Ironically, September is the driest month of the year on average in New Jersey.
With the rain that has already fallen this month, plus the amounts in July and August, there is no more rain that the ground can hold throughout a good portion of Central Jersey. Now that there is heavy rain on the way, a significant flooding event is possible in portions of Central Jersey from Friday into Saturday. The NWS office in Mount Holly has issued a Flood Watch for the area from midnight on Friday to 6:00 AM on Saturday.
There is also a Coastal Flood Advisory for the Jersey Shore from Middlesex County down to Cape May County. The last Supermoon of the Year will be emerging this weekend and will aggravate the already agitated ocean at high tide. Greg’s Weather Center was out at Belmar, Spring Lake, and Sea Girt on Wednesday, and saw that the remains of Ophelia are still churning the ocean up fairly well.
Looking at the forecast for BCG’s game in Springfield between Jonathan Dayton and Highland Park, the National Weather Service Office in New York indicates rain will begin on Thursday night sometime after 10:00 PM. Rain could be very heavy at times. Precipitation amounts could fall between three-quarters and one inch. The rain will continue and remain heavy at times throughout the day on Friday. An additional one to two inches is possible. A Flood Watch is also in effect for Union County.
During the course of the game on Friday night, another half an inch to three-quarters of an inch could fall. So, by the end of the contest between the Bulldogs and the Owls, there could be anywhere from 2 to 3.75 inches of rain on the already saturated ground. On Saturday, the rain is forecast to taper off to just a chance of showers before 2:00 PM. So, there may be still a bit of rain at the time St. Joseph’s game with Westfield gets underway. The probability of that occurring as of now is 30 percent.
By the time Montgomery and Watchung Hills take the field at Tozier Stadium in Warren on Saturday evening, there should only be partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 60s by game time. Temps will fall a bit further into the upper 50s by the time the game has concluded. If you do plan to go out on Friday, be aware of the road conditions, especially in areas vulnerable to flooding.
