The abnormally dry area is yellow and the brown area is in a moderate drought (Source: U.S. Drought Monitor)
A "ring of fire" in the southeast may help ease New Jersey's dry spell this weekend, according to the state climatologist.
The ring is a high pressure system sitting over the Southeast, with clockwise rotation around the high bringing precipitation from the western Gulf of Mexico into the mid-Atlantic, according to David A. Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist based at Rutgers University.
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"It just so happens with this atmospheric pattern set up, a tropical storm (Bill) got caught in the circulation, so it's going to enhance this ring of fire," Robinson said. "It's going to enhance the moisture."
"Let's wait and see one more week of average rainfall and I think we can say drought concerns are off to the side for a while," he said.
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Through Tuesday, New Jersey's dry spell had not disappeared, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Dry conditions remained unchanged compared with the previous week, with Monmouth and northern Ocean counties abnormally dry and part of northwestern New Jersey in a moderate drought.
Robinson, who helps determine drought monitor weekly updates for New Jersey, said rainfall over the last three weeks has been very good - about 3 inches in Monmouth, Ocean and some other counties. But precipitation deficits remain over 90 days, he said.
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According to the National Weather Service, the remnants of Tropical Depression Bill are expected to bring lots of moisture to the Garden State.
Bill's remnants will decay into a trough of low pressure well to our west and pass through the region on Sunday, according to a forecast discussion by the weather service's Mount Holly Office.
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Heavy rains and thunderstorms are expected Sunday, possibly into early Sunday night, according to the discussion. The precipitation may cause localized flooding, according to a hazardous weather outlook.
Robinson said it looks like the state will get 1 to potentially 3 inches of rain from 8 a.m. Sunday through 8 a.m. Tuesday.
"The fact is the heavier rain in New Jersey will probably be about 50 miles wide," but it's unknown whether that would fall in North, Central or South Jersey, he said.
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Today's rain blanketed much of the state. Rainfall totals include 0.68 inches in Eagleswood, 0.52 inches in Harvey Cedars and 0.49 inches in Berkeley, according to the New Jersey Weather and Climate Network.
Steady rains may produce minor flooding this morning, according to the hazardous weather outlook.
Precipitation deficits over 90 days through June 16, 2015 (Source: Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center)
