Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Raining heavily at 4:30AM

The NWS prediction service now has the Delaware at Riegelsville cresting at 36', which would be about 2' higher than April 2005 (34.07). The river at Belvidere is predicted to crest around 27'.

Ecological and economic devasatation would be the immediate result if such predictions unfold, particulary between Easton and Trenton. Oddly, the prediction service doesn't indicate any particular crest right now, but that being the Lehigh confluence, one would expect to see only the roof of the downtown McDonalds.

The graph for Trenton only predicts moderate flooding, which is certainly out of sync with the dire Riegelsville prediction.

The Wickecheoke Creek, a NJ trib a few miles iup the road had risen from 3' to over 6' and that will go up to perhaps 10' at this rate.

Other major NJ tribs (Musconetcong - Pequest - Paulinskill) are just beginning to come up.

Most of the PA tribs actually started to fall around midnight but they are heading back up, some of these are already at or above flood stage, most notably the Lehigh. Even the Delaware looked like it was about to level off at midnight. But it too will be rising quickly again from near bank full to who knows what level.

I don't know how to go back to sleep, but another hour of snooz would be nice before the tour upriver.

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