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With link to forecast for storm due to arrive on Wednesday

Think again.

November's rainfall amounts in southern New Jersey came in below average. Even with that messy Nov. 12-14 coastal storm that eroded area beaches and flooded roadways, November rainfall for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean counties was between 0.1 and one inch less than usual, according to National Weather Service statistics.

Click here to watch aerial video showing the impact of the Nov. 12-14 coastal storm.

But that's just for November. Take a look at the year-to-date numbers and we find that this has, indeed, been a water-logged year for southern New Jersey, with the region experiencing the highest precipitation totals in the state.

So far, this year's most heavily drenched New Jersey's counties: Cape May (13.8 inches above average), Atlantic (12.4 inches), Ocean (6.4 inches), and Cumberland (5.6 inches).

Some of the state's northernmost counties have actually been drier than normal. Sussex County is 3.5 inches below average for year-to-date rainfall.

Through the last 11 months, Mother Nature has dumped 30 percent more rain than normal on Atlantic and Cape May counties.

For Cape May County, normal year-to-date rainfall would be 37.7 inches. This year, Cape May County has experienced 51.4 inches -- the biggest departure from YTD normal rainfall in the National Weather Service's Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, which covers New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and southern New York.

In all of those states, only one county has received more total rain and sleet and snow in 2009 than Atlantic County's 52.1 inches: Mathews County, Va., with 53.7 inches.

While the National Weather Service doesn't keep track of county-by-county rainfall records, statistics with the office of the New Jersey State Climatologist give context to this year's rainfall totals. Those stats show monthly and yearly rainfall counts at different weather stations.

According to the State Climatologist Web site, the highest yearly rainfall total measured at the Atlantic City International Airport station was 55.34 inches, set in 1997. Through September, that station was on pace for about 54 inches this year.

The record in Cape May, 56.47 inches, was recorded in 1948. This year's rainfall count is expected to inch closer to that milestone in the coming days.

So if you live in southern New Jersey, grab your umbrella -- rain is in the forecast on Wednesday, and Thursday, and Saturday ...

Contact Dan Good:

609-272-7203

DGood@pressofac.com

1 comment:

• Barry McSame (136) posts 12:15 pm

  "Go west, young man." Truer now than ever before.

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