Latest news with #rainfall
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
See rainfall totals in your Central Jersey town
Here are the latest rainfall totals in Central Jersey. Check back for updates throughout the day. Hunterdon County rain totals Totals for the past 24 hours, as of 5:35 a.m. Tuesday Mulhockaway Creek at Van Syckel: 0.53 inches Musconetcong River: 2.37 inches Musconetcong River at Riegelsville: 0.46 Neshanic River: 0.39 Nishisakawick Creek near Frenchtown: 0.51 inches Rockaway Creek: 0.75 inches South Branch Raritan River: 0.52 inches Wickecheoke Creek: 0.34 inches Middlesex County rain totals Totals for the past 24 hours, as of 5:35 a.m. Tuesday Carteret: 2.86 inches Heathcote Brook at Kingston: 1.95 inches Kendall Park: 2.34 inches Lawrence Brook: 2.07 inches Manalapan Brook at Federal Rd near Manalapan: 1.36 inches Millstone River near Grovers Mill: 1.22 inches Monroe Township: 1.14 inches New Brunswick: 2.95 inches Old Bridge: 1.39 inches Raritan River Lower: 2.74 inches Sayreville: 2.34 inches South River: 1.94 inches Woodbridge: 1.73 inches Somerset County rain totals Totals for the past 24 hours, as of 5:35 a.m. Tuesday Bound Brook at Rt 28 at Middlesex: 4.06 inches Bridgewater: 3.59 inches Hillsborough: 3.13 inches Lamington River at Burnt Mills: 1.85 inches Middlebush: 3.35 inches Millstone River at Blackwells Mills: 2.44 inches North Branch Raritan River: 1.18 inches Somerset: 3.74 inches South Branch Raritan River at South Branch: 1.58 inches Stony Brook at Watchung: 5.83 inches West Branch Middle Brook at Martinsville: 1.64 inches Union County rain totals Totals for the past 24 hours, as of 5:35 a.m. Tuesday Linden Airport: 4.19 inches Rahway River Lower: 3.33 inches Rahway River near Springfield: 3.66 inches Sources: and This article originally appeared on NJ rain totals in Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Union counties Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
2025 has become 'the year of the flood.' Why is it raining so much?
Daily tropical downpours, deadly flash floods and crushing humidity: If you think summer 2025 has been wetter and rainier than usual, you're right. "2025 has been the year of the flood," said WPLG-TV meteorologist Michael Lowry in a July 15 email to USA TODAY. "The tragic July 4th flooding in central Texas – the deadliest flash flood in at least 50 years in the U.S. – punctuated what's been an especially bad year for flooding across the country." In fact, "so far in 2025, National Weather Service offices have issued more flood warnings than any other year on record dating back to 1986," Lowry said. In addition to the catastrophic flooding in Texas, life-threatening flooding and record rainfall has been reported in New Mexico, North Carolina and other East Coast states this month. Why is this? What's going on? It's the humidity "In general, atmospheric moisture in the areas that have seen the most flooding this year has been historically high," Lowry told USA TODAY. "We can look at dew point temperature as a gauge for how soupy it's been," he said. "The dew point temperature has been much higher than average across parts of Texas and over nearly the entire eastern third of the U.S." So why has it been so humid? The main reason is due to the unusually warm waters of the Atlantic and the Gulf this season. "The subtropical waters around the U.S., and especially off the Eastern Seaboard, have warmed considerably, and the stronger flow out of the south and east around the Bermuda High has swept all of that muggy air from offshore much farther inland," Lowry said. Indeed, the Bermuda/Azores high has been abnormally strong so far this year, and clockwise flow around that area of high pressure pulls moisture from the ocean and Gulf directly into the United States. "So the bottom line is higher humidity levels from warmer waters around the U.S. have contributed to the record flooding we've seen so far this year," Lowry said. Wet spring also set the stage In addition, AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok told USA TODAY that the wet spring in the East also set the stage for the soggy summer that's followed. He said the sodden ground from heavy rain in April and May has contributed to the flooding we've been seeing in summer. Furthermore, Pastelok said there's been a lack of potent cold fronts sweeping down from Canada, which act to reduce humidity levels. He did say that a cold front in mid-July, the first one in quite a while, will at least temporarily help ease the crushing humidity in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast later this week. DC deluges One city that's seen a high number of flash floods this summer is Washington, which has seen an unusual number of weather alerts related to rain and flooding this year. In a typical year, the weather service office in the Baltimore/Washington area issues one or two moderate risk rainfall outlooks. This July alone, there have already been three: July 1, 9 and 14, CNN reported. The Baltimore/Washington office of the National Weather Service told USA TODAY on July 15 that July has seen a well-above average number of rainfall outlooks and flash flood warnings. "In the past month, there have only been seven days when the DC-Baltimore area wasn't under any excessive rainfall threat," CNN said. What about climate change? Climate change can affect the intensity and frequency of precipitation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which said that "warmer oceans increase the amount of water that evaporates into the air. When more moisture-laden air moves over land or converges into a storm system, it can produce more intense precipitation – for example, heavier rain and snow storms." Hourly rainfall rates have grown heavier in nearly 90% of large U.S. cities since 1970, according to a recent study from the nonprofit research group Climate Central. (This story has been updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is it raining so much? 2025 has become 'the year of the flood.'
ABC News
a day ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Outback NSW graziers destock as 'flogging' from kangaroos worsens dry times
While one side of New South Wales has been drenched in recent weeks, the other is crying out for rain. Large parts of the state's outback have received less than 100 millimetres this year. In contrast, Sydney received 70mm and areas south of Wollongong got 100mm and 200mm in a matter of days. The dry spell has left some sheep and cattle graziers with no choice but to remove or strongly consider getting rid of their stock. Rainie Weston lives on Marrapina Station, 160 kilometres north of Broken Hill, and is one of those who has made the decision to destock completely. "It's a long time since we've had continual general rain," she said. For Ms Weston, the impact of the hot and dry weather has been amplified by "thousands" of feral goats and kangaroos. "They're just smashing fences and coming in every which way … they have an enormous grazing effect. "You've got thousands of them coming in … what food should have lasted you another six months is pretty well gone before your eyes." Finding agistment for her stock had been difficult while other areas of the country struggled with low rainfall. "We started looking for agistment. We weren't able to find any. We sold breeding cows," Ms Weston said. "We've since found agistment far and wide, [in] three different directions for the balance of our cattle." Pastoralist Terry Smith was also dealing with "considerable pressure" from kangaroos in the past few months, and had begun destocking. "It's pretty hard to estimate, but I pulled up there one day on a bit of open country and I counted 600 going across in front of me," he said. The overabundance was hard for local graziers to manage. "You can get permits to shoot or get roo shooters in … [but] you take 65 roos out a night in a population of probably 35,000 to 40,000 and it doesn't make much difference," Mr Smith said. Inundated by kangaroos, Mr Smith had already witnessed them dying. "Kangaroos are property of the Crown … it sort of makes you wonder what the rules are for the government … why they're not responsible for the welfare of these animals." Ms Weston and Mr Smith hoped rain would fall across the region, but both were preparing for lean times ahead. Many graziers had still not recovered from the previous drought, which lasted from 2016 to as late as 2022 in certain areas. "Just because you've got green feed [doesn't mean] the drought's not necessarily over," Mr Smith said. "You've still got to get your numbers back, and you catch up on what you missed out on for the past few years. "I think a lot of people … [would've] liked a couple more years of catching up. [That] would have been good."
CBS News
a day ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Thunderstorms prompt FAA to issue ground stop at Denver International Airport
A round of storms moving through Colorado on Friday prompted the FAA to issue a ground stop for Denver International Airport. The FAA issued the ground stop at 4:15 p.m. and is in effect until 5:30 p.m. As the rain continues east through Friday evening, Colorado could see some significant rainfall in Douglas and Larimer Counties.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Twin rainbands offer hope of drought relief across southern Australia
Despite hopeful forecasts in autumn, widespread soaking rains have so far failed to materialise across much of southern Australia this winter. The relatively dry start to the season has maintained the record drought in South Australia and Victoria, while less severe rainfall deficits have now also spread north through western and central New South Wales. It is a similar story across Western Australia, with farmers struggling through below-average rain this cool season, despite moderate relief during the past few weeks. But there is now hope on the horizon. Weather modelling is showing increasing potential for the best rains of the year during the next 10 days. The longer-term prospects also remain positive, with outlooks for the remainder of 2025 favouring consistent wetter conditions to become the norm. Frequent cold fronts this winter have brought bursts of showers and plenty of alpine snow. However, many agricultural regions, especially inland areas, are still waiting for meaningful relief. So why have typically reliable fronts not delivered more rain this winter? The missing ingredient has been the absence of pre-frontal tropical moisture critical for inland cloud bands. Without the inclusion of humid air from the north, fronts will often only supply showers along the coast and ranges as limited Southern Ocean moisture is quickly wrung out further inland. Although rainfall through June and July has been mixed, fortunes could be about to swing dramatically. Two rainbands are set to sweep east across southern states during the next week, and the second system has the potential to form into a full-blown inland low with widespread rain. But let us start with system one. After an initial weakening front brushes the far south-east today, a more vigorous system will reach WA through Sunday and Monday, and bring rain south of a line from about Shark Bay to Eucla. Around 20 millimetres should fall in coastal areas from about Lancelin to Esperance, including around Perth, while the wheat belt can expect closer to around 10mm. The front will then shift rain across south-east states early next week, although, in a repeat of previous systems this winter, many inland districts, such as the Riverland, Murraylands, Mallee and western Riverina, may only see a millimetre or two. However, front number one is just a warm-up to a stronger system later in the week. Modelling is in healthy agreement that a powerful front will reach south-west WA on Wednesday and bring further widespread showers. Although, again, that is nothing we have not already seen multiple times this winter. However, on this occasion, as the system moves into the Bight on Thursday, it is likely to be preceded by a plume of tropical moisture — the genesis for a rainband developing across the interior. The key is what happens to this rainband from Friday, with modelled scenarios currently ranging from a steady path over south-east states, which would produce only light rain, to the development of a major low-pressure system. Under the low scenario, the rainband would both slow down and increase in intensity, resulting in possibly several days of widespread rain extending from tropical Queensland to Tasmania. Below is one model's current output showing total rainfall over the next 10 days, noting the solid falls across the Murray Basin, and while most models have a less generous spread of precipitation, the system represents the best potential for significant drought relief so far in 2025. The Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) ensemble forecast, which involves running a model 99 times to determine the probability of an outcome, is also favouring a wet week. Of those 99 forecasts, more than 80 indicate wetter-than-normal conditions across a large swathe of northern, central and south-east Australia. This outcome is expressed as a greater than 80 per cent chance of above-median rainfall, shown as the darkest green shading in the map below. Although there are no guarantees in long-range forecasting, the BOM's ensemble prediction discussed above also favours a wet three months from August to October. The ensemble is most consistent that above-median rain will arrive through Australia's east, including a greater than 80 per cent probability in parts of northern NSW and western Queensland. The BOM's modelling is also backed by a leading global model, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which is even more confident of a wet three months. The modelling displays a 70–90 per cent chance of above median falls from Tasmania, through the eastern states to the Top End. While these forecasts appear to suggest the relentless dry spell should come to an end, probability outlooks still leave the window open for unexpected results. For example, there may be a five-in-six chance you will not roll a one on a standard die, but it is not a guarantee — and if a one is rolled, that does not imply the initial probability was incorrect.
