Record Breaking Rain Event ! Salem/Cumberland Counties in Southern NJ !

8-15-11: Monday AM
Heavy Rain Event !

An incredible setup with torrential rainfall, from overnight Saturday into Sunday afternoon. Many areas in Cumberland and Salem Counties of NJ received 7.00" to near 10.00" of rainfall with this event. Training from bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms pounded the same areas in a 5 to 15 mile wide band, from parts of East central MD, through Northern DE and into Southwestern NJ.

Here in Pittsgrove/Elmer NJ (Eastern Salem CO) I recorded a 24 hour rainfall total of 9.64" and a storm total of 9.83", this occurring from later Saturday afternoon into later Sunday afternoon. The heaviest rainfall started falling around 2:00 AM Sunday morning with a line of intense thunderstorms, that trained and moved slowly Northeastward from Northern DE into western areas of NJ. This plume and conveyor belt of moisture, then continued for much of Sunday in the same areas. Wave after wave of heavy rain bands, and thunderstorms pounded the same areas.

A stalled out Upper Level Low over NE Ohio and trough setting up along the Northern M/A Coast are the reasoning for this training of heavy rainfall over the mentioned areas. Moisture was loaded up with this SSW flow and entrained NE from Eastern MD, Northern DE and SW NJ. This u/l low, trough and associated cold front will shift slowly eastward today and tonight, then off the coast on Tuesday. Additional Showers and thunderstorms will continue today into tonight, with some areas in banding receiving an additional 1.00" to 2.00" of rainfall. Overall an additional .50" to 1.00" of rain can be expected for much of the Delaware Valley.

Here are some rainfall reports from yesterday: This from the NWS in Mt.Holly NJ.
Once again, my report of 9.64" for Elmer/Pittsgrove was the highest called in report.
In my 44 years on this planet, I've never recorded this amount of rainfall, with the most incredible fact, this was recorded in a 14 hour period, between 2:00 AM and 4:00 PM Sunday.
NWS Public information report, with rainfall totals.
http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=PHI&product=PNS&format=CI&version=1&glossary=0

Pittsgrove NJ Flooding on the News. This is about 5 miles from my house.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8306249

Take Care,
Ruggie