A nor'easter that has battered New Jersey since Friday, Sept. 25, is dumping more rain and driving gusty winds across Cherry Hill, with conditions expected to persist through Sunday, Sept. 27, and into Monday, Sept. 28.
The National Weather Service forecast for the region on Sunday, Sept. 27, calls for near-certain rain, north winds of 15 to 20 mph and gusts up to 40 mph, with highs in the mid 60s. An additional 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected along the I-95 corridor, which runs through Cherry Hill, according to Patch.
Isolated poor drainage and urban flooding may continue with heavier rain through Sunday night, the NWS forecast said.
Wind advisory, power outages
A wind advisory issued by NWS Mount Holly for Camden County took effect at 4:08 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, and ran through 6 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 27. The advisory warned of north winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph, strong enough to blow around unsecured objects and bring down tree limbs.
Statewide, more than 30,000 utility customers lost power by Saturday morning. JCP&L reported 21,171 customers without electricity as of 10:16 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. PSE&G, which serves Cherry Hill, reported 2,372 affected customers across its service area. Atlantic City Electric counted 6,966 customers affected, the Courier-Post reported.
Cherry Hill-specific outage numbers were not available.
In nearby Winslow Township, a downed tree closed one lane and the right shoulder of NJ 73 North on Saturday, Sept. 26, according to 511NJ.
State of emergency covers eight counties
Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency under Executive Order No. 25 for eight counties, effective 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. The order covers Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem counties. Camden County was not among them, though neighboring Burlington County was.
Sherrill said Friday, Sept. 25, that the order activates the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) and coordinates response among the State Police, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Transportation and local emergency management offices.
"Please charge your phones, secure loose items outside, stock up on food and water, and stay off the roads if possible," Sherrill said, according to Fox 29.
Along the coast, the storm has been far more severe. Atlantic City Battalion Chief Michael Famularo said Saturday, Sept. 26, that most rescues involved people who had driven into floodwaters, according to the Burlington County Times. The Route 72 causeway bridge into Long Beach Island was closed because of flooding, and streets across the barrier island were underwater.
Local events canceled
The storm forced cancellations across Camden County. The National MS Society's Bike MS: City to Shore event, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Cherry Hill, was canceled. The South Jersey Caribbean Festival in Camden was also called off, and Collingswood Porchfest was postponed, according to the Courier-Post's live updates.
NJ Transit said Saturday, Sept. 26, it was monitoring the storm and urged riders to check service updates on its website and social media accounts.
Rain is expected to taper off Monday, Sept. 28. The NWS said most rivers should stay below flood stage, with the exception of the Millstone River, which could reach minor flood stage early Monday morning.
