Heavy Rain to Cause Floods in Parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Heavy rain in New York and the Middle Atlantic states is threatening to drive the Passaic, Susquehanna and Delaware rivers over their banks by this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
As much as 3.5 inches (9 centimeters) of rain may fall in parts of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey from a system that’s expected to enter the area late today, said Bob Fenner, senior hydrologist at the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center in State College, Pennsylvania.
“We expect to have moderate flooding at most locations in the Passaic basin over the week and into the weekend,” Fenner said by telephone. “It should be a fairly widespread event for the Middle Atlantic states.”
Flood warnings and watches extend from New Hampshire to Louisiana because of a low pressure system that’s moving across the Midwest, pushing heavy rain and thunderstorms ahead of it. A year ago, heavy rains drove rivers across New Jersey out of their banks, causing widespread flooding throughout the region.
Flooding damaged 7,337 homes in New Jersey and prompted President Obama to declare a disaster in the state, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Passaic River at Pine Brook, New Jersey, reached its third-highest crest of 22.32 feet (7 meters) in March 2010 and the current forecast calls for a crest higher than that by this weekend.
In Little Falls, where flooding is also expected by this weekend, officials have readied a shelter for resident who may have to evacuate and two more for pets, according to the township website.
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, is expected to crest at 31 feet, or 9 feet above flood stage, by this weekend, according to the weather service.
“We are looking at pretty significant flooding on the main stem of the Susquehanna from the Pennsylvania-New York border all the way down to the Pennsylvania-Maryland border,” Fenner said.
The Delaware River at New Hope, Pennsylvania, is expected to rise more than a foot above flood stage by this weekend, according to the weather service.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dan Stets at dstets@bloomberg.net.
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