Coastal Flooding Alert Issued; Heaviest Rain Still On Track For Christmas Eve

Intermittent rain began to fall across New Jersey and Pennsylvania overnight as a low pressure system began its trek up the coast just in time to soak Santa as he makes his deliveries on Christmas Eve.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office issued a Nixle alert at 7:30 a.m., reporting minor coastal flooding that the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office says is a possibility until late morning today.

“High tide on the ocean side will occur by 8 a.m., for the back bays it will occur by late morning,” the alert said. Localized road flooding is expected in Atlantic, Ocean and southern Burlington counties, the alert said.

Weather forecasters are still calling for periods of moderate to heavy rain on Wednesday, with the risk of flooding along the New Jersey coastline and in other low-lying areas.

Steven DiMartino of the NY NJ PA Weather blog is calling for winds between 10 and 20 mph, but soaking rains all day Wednesday, and temperatures will be well above normal throughout the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas. But by Christmas afternoon the skies should clear, with just a few lingering showers.

Accuweater.com says gusty winds blowing from the south and east may lead to flight delays, with gusts approaching 40 mph around New York on Wednesday evening. Fog is a possibility, which could cause delays at the airports in Philadelphia, Newark and New York.

The National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office is calling for rain through Christmas morning and winds of 16 to 20 mph with gusts in the 30s.

The weekend will be colder but clear, with temperatures in the low to mid-40s and lows around freezing.