Big rainfall deficit continues, but we could get some help with two rain storms this week.
With very little rain falling during the past three months, the New Jersey region continues to run a precipitation deficit of 9 to 12 inches this year, according to climate data from the National Weather Service.
The Trenton area has the biggest deficit -- 12.41 inches below normal as of Monday morning. The area has received 29.93 inches of rain and melted snow so far this year, and the normal amount is 42.34 inches between Jan. 1 and Nov. 27.
Despite a heavy soaking in mid-November, the Newark area is still running a rainfall deficit of 9.63 inches this year. Newark has received 32.41 inches of rain and melted snow this year, and the normal total is 42.04 inches.
Other parts of the region are not far behind in the deficit column: Allentown, Pa., is 9.69 inches below normal,
New York City is 9.16 inches below normal and Philadelphia is 6.77 inches below normal, weather service stats show.
South Jersey is the one exception to the rainfall deficit trend, with the Atlantic City area getting 41.09 inches of precipitation this year. That's 3.38 inches above the normal total of 37.71 inches from Jan. 1 through Nov. 27.
Good soaking on the way
Two storm systems that are expected to move across our region from the west and southwest this week could drop a decent amount of rain, forecasters said.
Most areas of New Jersey will likely get 1 to 2 inches of rain out of these systems on Tuesday and Wednesday, and some places could get a total of 2.5 to 3 inches, said Dean Iovino, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's regional forecast office in Mount Holly.
Will that be enough to help with the region's serious drought situation?
"It'll make a little dent," Iovino said. "It will help, but it won't pull us out of the drought conditions. We need a few more types of these events to alleviate the problem."
On top of helping with New Jersey's low stream flow and shrinking water supplies, there's another good thing about the upcoming storm systems: They'll be accompanied by unseasonably warm temperatures, which could reach the low to mid-60s.
That means these will be all-rain events, Iovino said, with no threat of snow or freezing rain, even in the chillier sections of northwestern New Jersey.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.