Our waterlogged state will be getting wet again this week, thanks to a storm system that’s developing off the coast of the Carolinas, forecasters say.
The National Weather Service says spotty showers will pester parts of New Jersey Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening, dropping only a tenth or two-tenths of an inch of rain, before steadier rain showers develop Wednesday night and Thursday.
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Overall, forecasters are expecting about a quarter-inch to half-inch of rain in northwestern New Jersey, 1 to 1.5 inches along Interstate 95 and areas south and east of I-95, with some places along the coast picking up close to 2 inches before the rain tapers off Thursday night.
Here's how much rain the National Weather Service is predicting from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday night.National Weather Service
That’s a far cry from the 3 to 4 inches of rain that drenched many areas of New Jersey on Saturday — in the latest of a series of storms that have turned this month into one of the wettest Marches on record in the Garden State.
Newark Liberty International Airport has already been saturated with 7.46 inches of rain this month, when it normally gets a total of 4.13 inches in March. As of now, this is the fifth wettest March on record at the airport, with data going back to 1931.
At Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona, this has been the fourth wettest March on record since 1943, with 8.14 inches of rain falling through early Wednesday morning in an area that usually gets 4.52 inches of rain the entire month.
Here's how much rain the National Weather Service is predicting from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday night.National Weather Service
The good news about the latest batch of rain: It’s not expected to cause any serious flooding.
As of Wednesday afternoon, only one flood alert remains active, with minor tidal flooding lingering along the shores of Barnegat Bay in Ocean County from the previous rain and high tides. The weather service says the water should gradually recede by 4 p.m.
Although winds will be very calm Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night, gusts up to 20 to 30 mph are expected to be blowing by Thursday night. Strong winds are also likely on Friday, but it’s shaping up to be a mostly sunny day with highs in the low to mid-50s.
This month is already one of the wettest Marches on record in New Jersey, along with New York City and Philadelphia. And more rain is on the way this week.Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.