Despite a few wet days in late November, North Jersey is still in the midst of a severe drought. But we should be getting some help with two bouts of rain this week.
North Jersey had less than an inch of rain in September and the driest October on record. The meteorological fall — September, October and November — was also the region’s driest on record.
In November Gov. Phil Murphy issued a drought warning advisory for New Jersey, to preserve the available water supplies throughout the state and avoid shortages.
This week, clouds will roll in Monday in the late morning to early afternoon, bringing light to moderate rain totaling a quarter to a half inch, said Dominic Ramunni, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Upton, New York.
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“The real story will be late Tuesday and especially Wednesday,” said Ramunni. “Wednesday looks quite wet, with the chance for a couple of inches falling until early Thursday.” It will also be gusty, and there could be some nuisance flooding, he said. “Wednesday would be a good day to stay inside.”
The temperature could push into the upper 50s Wednesday, but then a cold front quickly moves in, bringing more winter-like highs in the mid-30s on Thursday. After that, it should be dry again through the coming weekend, Ramunni said.
Here’s the latest on North Jersey drought conditions for Sunday, Dec. 8:
Reservoir levels
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Oradell, Woodcliff Lake, Lake Tappan: The three reservoirs on the Hackensack River operated by Veolia were at 66% capacity, up from 58% in November. Normally at this time of year they are at about 66% capacity. This time last year they were at 98%. The Veolia system supplies water to 800,000 residents in Bergen and Hudson counties.
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Wanaque, Monksville: The two reservoirs are operated by the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission. The Wanaque was at 48.1% Friday, up from 46.5% at the end of November. The backup Monksville Reservoir was at 74.2%. Combined they were at 53.1%. Normally at this time of year they are at 71%. Last year at this time they were at 101%. The Wanaque provides water to more than 100 municipalities in North Jersey, from Alpine to Newark.
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Newark reservoirs: The series of reservoirs that feed water to Newark were at 60%. Normally they are at 74% this time of year. Last year at this point they were at 102%.
Fire risk status
Current danger is low for the entire state as of Sunday, Dec. 8, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
U.S. Drought Monitor
As of Dec. 5, the northern half of New Jersey was still in D2 status — severe drought. The southern half of New Jersey was in D3 status — extreme drought.
Past 90-day precipitation departure through Dec. 6
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Bergen County: 4.2 inches of rain, which is 8.3 inches below normal.
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Passaic County: 4.2 inches of rain, 8.9 inches below normal.
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Morris County: 4.1 inches of rain, 8.7 inches below normal.
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Sussex County: 4.3 inches of rain, 7.8 inches below normal.
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Essex County: 4.2 inches of rain, 8.1 inches below normal.
Streamflow departure on Dec. 8
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Passaic River at Little Falls was at 0.45 feet, 16% of median, reported the U.S. Geological Survey.
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Saddle River at Ridgewood was at 0.79 feet, 57% of median.
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Saddle River at Lodi was at 1.91 feet, 44% of median.
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Hackensack River at New Milford was at 1.42 feet, 15% of median.
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Hackensack River at River Vale was at 1.67 feet, 67% of median.
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Pascack Brook at Park Ridge was at 2.76 feet, 12% of median.
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Pascack Brook at Westwood was at 1.49 feet, 55% of median.
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Ho-Ho-Kus Brook at Ho-Ho-Kus was at 1.29 feet, 43% of median.
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Ramapo River near Mahwah was at 2.57 feet, 17% of median.
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Ramapo River at Pompton Lakes was at 6.89 feet, 26% of median.
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Pompton River at Pompton Plains was at 8.03 feet, 30% of median.
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Ringwood Creek at Wanaque was at 10.22 feet, 8% of median.
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Rockaway River at Boonton was at 0.84 feet, 16% of median.
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Whippany River near Pine Brook was at 2.48 feet, 42% of median.
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Whippany River at Morristown was at 1.95 feet, 52% of median.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ drought watch: How much rain will we get this week?