Coastal Storm To Bring Flooding, Wintry Mix To New Jersey

NEW JERSEY — As an "enormous cross-country storm" heads toward New Jersey, flooding and wintry conditions could be in the forecast later this week.

"A storm will develop near southeastern Virginia on Thursday, and will track just off the New Jersey coast on Friday and finally spin near southeastern New England on Saturday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.

The positioning of the storm will allow cold air from Canada to be pulled south into the Northeast and help produce a widespread snowfall for a large part of the region, Gilbert added.

While snow is possible, rain is more likely for the majority of the Garden State. AccuWeather meteorologists expect the enormous storm to create a spinoff system near the Atlantic coast.

This will produce lots of rain triggering coastal flooding for parts of the state.

"Rain is the most likely form of precipitation in the Interstate 95 corridor from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The heavy rainfall, when combined with gusty winds, will lead to urban flooding and poor travel conditions," according to Accuweather.

The storm will most likely hit New Jersey on Thursday night with the worst of it on Friday. However, the exact timing and precipitation types are still uncertain, according to the National Weather Service.

"At this point the indications are precipitation will arrive southwest to northeast during the day Thursday with the storm potentially lasting into a portion of Friday as it could be a slow mover. Near the coast, this will likely be a rain event with a better chance for wintry precipitation the farther north you go," according to US National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly.

Here is the latest forecast, according to the National Weather Service:

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 42. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 21. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 41. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. North wind around 5 mph.

Thursday: A chance of snow before 1 p.m., then rain between 1 and 4 p.m., then rain, possibly mixed with sleet after 4 p.m. High near 40. East wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night: Rain, possibly mixed with sleet, becoming all rain after 7 p.m. Low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Friday: Rain likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.

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