FLOOD WARNING

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLOOD WARNING FOR THE LOWER DELAWARE RIVER.

The river is predicted to rise to 25' by tomorrow morning at Riegelsville, which is 3 feet above flood stage, enough to cause moderate flooding of some roads and the more vulnerable river dwellers.


If you live along the river or a creek in the lower Delaware River watershed, please pay attention to the weather forecast this evening, and you might want to set your alarm for 2AM to check on conditions outside, and check stream gauges and rainfall amounts in the upper watershed, especially the Lehigh, Lackawaxen, Musconetcong, and Paulinskill Rivers, and Brodhead Creek (the Poconos have had the most rain).

NOAA is sending out a plane off the coast of the Outer Banks, NC (one of my favorite destinations) to asess what they describe as a developing "tropical depression." As if that's not depressing enough we are getting small bands of precip coming up right now. If a tropical depression develops it has the potential to move quickly up the coast and bring some stormy weather with up to 4" more rain and strong winds.

This is not a certainty, at this point, we can hold out hope that it will fizzle. Another inch won't be dire, but 4 or more would be a problem.

Right now the Lehigh River is above flood stage at Walnutport and Lehighton. The Lackawaxen is also closing in on its flood stage. The Schuylkill will be flooding in Reading (not a concern for the Delaware). Clearly most of the precipitation has thus far fallen along the Appalachians (Poconos) and much less has fallen in the Coastal Plain and a little less in the Piedmont, but that could change with a tropical depression. The NJ tribs are not running high, in fact some are just high enough to paddle (Pequest, Paulinskill. Musconetcong). The Flatbrook is running a bit higher, being on the other side of Kittatinny mountain.

More to follow.