Flood-weary residents in northern and central New Jersey aren’t out of the woods yet.
Although some rivers reached their crest and slowly started to dip lower Wednesday, some continue to rise and will remain at dangerously high levels through Friday or Saturday, according to the latest river forecasts from the National Weather Service.
The biggest troublespots as of Wednesday afternoon were two sections of the Passaic River — in the Pine Brook section of Montville in Morris County and the Little Falls areas of Passaic County. Both of those rivers are expected to continue rising above major flood stage Wednesday and Thursday, and could remain at that level all the way through Friday or Saturday, forecasters say.
The serious flooding was triggered by a series of intense rainstorms, along with some snow, during the past three weeks — topped by heavy rain from Tuesday’s powerful storm. That added more water to rivers that were already running high.
More alarm bells will be sounded later this week, with weather forecasters predicting another storm system that could drop another 1 to 2 inches of rain on the New Jersey region.
Here’s a look at the latest river levels and forecast levels on flood inundation maps issued by the National Weather Service’s Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, with data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.
MAJOR RIVER FLOODING IN N.J.
Some of these rivers have already risen above major flood stage, and some are expected to rise above major flood stage by late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Passaic River — Pine Brook section of Montville, Morris County
Status: Rose above its minor flood stage of 19 feet late Wednesday morning and is forecast to rise to its major flood stage of 20 feet by 7 a.m. Thursday. The river is expected to crest at 21.4 feet overnight Thursday and remain above moderate or major flood stage through Saturday morning.
More details: Specific streets, expected flooding levels and impacts
Passaic River — Little Falls, Passaic County
Status: Forecast to rise above its minor flood stage of 7 feet by early Wednesday afternoon, then rise above its major flood stage of 9 feet overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. The river is expected to crest at 10 feet at about 7 p.m. Thursday, but is forecast to remain at major flood stage through at least Saturday morning.
More details: Specific streets, expected flooding levels and impacts
Saddle River — Lodi, Bergen County
Status: Rose above its minor flood stage of 5.5 feet overnight and then climbed above its major flood stage of 8 feet early Wednesday morning. The river crested at about 9 a.m. Wednesday at 10.3 feet and is slowly dropping down.
More details: Specific streets, expected flooding levels and impacts
Pompton River — Pompton Plains, Morris County
Status: Rose above its minor flood stage of 16 feet overnight and then climbed above its major flood stage of 18 feet Wednesday morning. The river is expected to crest by 7 p.m. Wednesday at 20.6 feet before slowly dropping down Thursday and Friday.
More details: Specific streets, expected flooding levels and impacts
Raritan River — Bound Brook, Somerset County
Status: Rose above its minor flood stage of 28 feet overnight and then climbed above its major flood stage of 33 feet by noon Wednesday. The river is expected to crest at 33.8 feet Wednesday afternoon before dropping down on Thursday.
More details: Specific streets, expected flooding levels and impacts
Raritan River — Manville, Somerset County
Status: Rose above its minor flood stage of 14 feet overnight and then climbed above its major flood stage of 20 feet by noon Wednesday. The river is expected to crest at 20.6 feet Wednesday afternoon before dropping down on Thursday.
More details: Specific streets, expected flooding levels and impacts
Current weather radar
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or @LensReality on X.
