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More Flash Flooding In New Jersey

Flooding in Neptune, New Jersey
Neptune Office of Emergency Management

High amounts of rain in a short amount of time are posing problems for motorists in many parts of the region.

New Jersey state climatologist Dave Robinson says torrential downpours have led to localized flash flooding in all parts of the state over the last month.

“There are parts of Passaic and Morris County that have had 15 inches of rain in the last 28 days. Now to put that in perspective a four-week period anytime during the summer should average about four to four and a half inches of rain in New Jersey.”

The water doesn’t runoff the roads quickly because the ground is saturated and can’t absorb it. And there’s so much rain in a short amount of time that storm drainage systems can’t handle it all.

Robinson says the unusually moist air pattern might stick around for a while.

“Ultimately it may take the transition from summer into fall to break this pattern. Sometimes it takes a tropical storm or a hurricane big enough that it can act kind of like a bowling ball and get things moving.”

Nearly eight inches of rain caused significant flooding in Brick Township today.