Keep those umbrellas handy, whether you're in the northern, central or southern region of New Jersey, because the rain is expected to be widespread.
A string of dry days will soon be coming to an end, as a storm front from the west is expected to move across Pennsylvania on Wednesday night and into New Jersey early Thursday morning.
The system will bring rain showers to the Garden State, with total amounts ranging from three-quarters of an inch to 1 inch by Thursday night, said Patrick O'Hara, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
Keep those umbrellas handy, whether you're in the northern, central or southern region of New Jersey, because the rain will be widespread. "Nobody escapes this time," O'Hara said.
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The weather service originally projected 1 to 2 inches of rain for the Garden State on Thursday, but revised its forecast and now expects an inch or less.
The front that's headed this way is part of the remnants of the big storm system that is dumping heavy snow on eastern Colorado and western Kansas Tuesday, O'Hara said. The bulk of that system will be moving up from the Plains and into Canada, posing no threat to the New Jersey region.
Whatever rain the Garden State ends up getting will be welcome news for the agencies that monitor the state's groundwater, stream flow and reservoir levels.
Parts of 12 counties remain under a drought watch, which was issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection in late September.
Maps released last week by the U.S. Drought Monitor indicate 36 percent of the state continues to be classified as "abnormally dry" and nearly 18 percent of the state has moderate drought conditions. The affected areas are all in central and northern New Jersey, from Ocean County up to Sussex County.
Rainfall totals across New Jersey in October were slightly higher than average, but many areas of the state are experiencing below-normal rainfall amounts so far this month.
Newark has gotten only 1.45 inches of rain in November, as of Monday, nearly a half-inch below normal, O'Hara said. Data compiled by the New Jersey Weather & Climate Network show New Brunswick has received just 0.72 inches of rain this month and Jersey City has gotten only 0.6 inches.
New Brunswick's average precipitation for the entire month of November is 3.82 inches, and Jersey City's average is 4.02 inches.
Other parts of the state, like Atlantic City -- which is not in the drought watch area -- have been getting a healthy amount of rain this month. O'Hara said. The city received 2.16 inches of rain so far this month, as of Monday, about a half-inch above normal.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
