Weather
Flood Warning In Passaic County As Ramapo River Rises Friday
The National Weather Service said 3 to 5 inches of rain is possible around Passaic County, with locally higher amounts of 5 to 7 inches.
WAYNE, NJ — A flood warning is in effect for parts of Passaic County on Friday, as heavy rainfall is causing localized flooding, and the Ramapo River is set to rise to the highest level in almost 20 years, according to forecasters.
A widespread 3 to 5 inches of precipitation is possible in Passaic County, with locally higher amounts of 5 to 7 inches, per the National Weather Service.
Wayne Township remains under a flood watch through late Friday night, as a slow-moving band of precipitation targets the New York City metro and communities in northern and central New Jersey with heavy rain.
Find out what's happening in Waynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Several roads around the township are closed for flooding or downed trees as of Friday morning.
The flood warning is in effect for the Ramapo River at Mahwah, the NWS said Friday. Flood stage is 8 feet, and the river measured 7.13 feet as of 11 a.m. Friday.
Find out what's happening in Waynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The river "is expected to rise above flood stage this afternoon to a crest of 8.8 feet just after midnight tonight," the National Weather Service said. "It will then fall below flood stage early Sunday morning."
This would be the highest crest since Dec. 11, 2003, per the National Weather Service. At 9 feet, State Route 202 floods downstream and there will be moderate flooding along Route 202 and Route 17, per the NWS.
The Ramapo River at Pompton Lakes is not expected to reach the flood stage of 11.5 feet, and is predicted to crest at 10.7 feet on Saturday.
Forecasters advise people to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts, as flash flooding conditions can quickly become dangerous.
"Excessive runoff will likely result in scattered to numerous instances of flash flooding in urban and poor drainage areas, as well as along quick responding small rivers and streams," said the NWS. "Locally considerable flash flooding is possible if/where axis of steady heavy rain develops and sits for several hours."
New York City is currently under a state of emergency, as heavy rain causes widespread flooding.
Here is a forecast through the weekend for Wayne Township:
Friday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 62. Northeast wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Friday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then rain likely after 2am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy, with a low around 56. Northeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday: Rain likely before 8am, then a chance of showers, mainly between 8am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Northeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Light north wind.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 5 to 11 mph.
Related articles:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
