Central Jersey towns at risk of flooding in Tuesday’s forecasted storm

For the third time in three weeks, New Jersey will be battered by a winter storm that will bring heavy rains and the possibility of flooding and damaging winds.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from 1 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The flooding is forecast to be somewhere between the levels in the two previous storms on Dec. 19 and Dec. 28.

A high wind advisory is in effect from 5 p.m. Tuesday to 3 a.m. Wednesday.

The rain will be light and spotty Tuesday morning until it picks up in intensity at about 1 p.m. and will remain heavy until about 1 a.m. when it will begin to taper off. About 2 to 2.5 inches of rain are expected to fall.

More: Gov. Phil Murphy declares state of emergency for NJ in advance of major storm Tuesday

The wind will start picking up early Tuesday afternoon and is predicted to reach its peak speed at about 9 p.m. with occasional gusts in Central Jersey reaching 46 mph.

Winds are forecast to be 20 to 25 mph from about 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Because the storm will be tracking through the Ohio Valley into the Great Lakes region, Central Jersey will be on the warm side with temperatures rising to near 55 degrees at midnight.

Moderate flooding is predicted for the Raritan and Millstone rivers.

The Raritan River at Manville is predicted to start rising rapidly Tuesday evening and will reach a crest of 17.8 feet Wednesday afternoon. Flood stage is 14 feet.

In comparison, the river crested on Dec. 28 at 16.4 feet and on Dec. 19 it crested at 19.8 feet

The Raritan River at Bound Brook is also expected to rise rapidly late Tuesday evening and reach a crest of 31.8 feet Wednesday afternoon. Flood stage is 28 feet.

In comparison, the river crested on Dec. 28 at 29.6 feet and on Dec. 19 it crested at 33.72 feet.

The Millstone River at Blackwells Mills is also expected to rise rapidly Tuesday evening and a reach a crest of 12.6 feet after midnight Wednesday. Flood stage is 9 feet.

And the parade of storms is not over for Central Jersey.

More rain and wind are expected from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Raritan River NJ towns at risk of flooding