Flash Floods Possible With Inch Of Rain In Essex County Thursday: NWS

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Essex and four other counties, sayings an inch to an inch and a half of rain could fall Thursday.

The outlook says:

"An approaching cold front on Thursday will result in widespread moderate to locally heavy rainfall along with gusty winds. A widespread 1-1.5" of rainfall is expected with locally higher totals possible. While widespread flooding is not expected, there remains a chance for localized flash flooding as well as urban and poor drainage flooding."

For comparison, the deadly Tropical Depression Ida last Sept. 1, 2021 dumped more than 7 inches of rain in a short time on parts of North Jersey, leaving flooded corners.

The Forecast

The forecast for the area of the airport in Caldwell for Thursday morning says:

"Showers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. High near 71. South wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible."

Thursday night, winds could gust as high as 28 mph. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch are possible, the NWS says.

Keep up with the forecast here.