Passaic River By Chatham May Set Records From Ida

CHATHAM, NJ - Heading into the Labor Day weekend, Chatham’s portion of the Passaic River is still under a “Flood Warning,” according to the National Weather Service.

The Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center’s hydrograph from Chatham shows that as of Friday morning at 8:15 a.m., the river gage there measured at 7.33 feet, with “Flood Stage” at six feet.

After Ida pummeled Chatham with about seven inches of rain this past Wednesday and into early Thursday, exceeding initial predictions of four inches, the river gage registered it reached a “moderate” flooding level of 8.1 feet at approximately midnight on Sept. 2.

That measurement could very well place it within the National Weather Service’s “Historic Crests” category, among the highest crests measured at that spot. The top crest was on Aug. 2, 1973, with a record 9.36 feet, that crest edging toward the “Major Flood Stage” category of 10 feet.

Currently, on the crest’s “Top 5,” was a measurement taken of 8.14 feet on Sept. 27, 1975, which holds the fourth Historic Crests spot. The fifth spot was taken at 8 feet on March 18, 1907.

Ida’s effects should minimally drop the river’s latest activities among the “Recent Crests” category, with the last on May 1, 2014 at 6.46 feet.

Waters slowly continue to recede and are back into the “minor” flooding stage, the Advance Hydrologic Prediction Service of the National Weather Service expecting that the river’s flood potential will start to diminish into the coming week and Labor Day.

For current hydrologic activities with the Passaic River by Chatham from the National Weather Service, click here.

To view real-time, time lapse snippets of the Passaic River by Chatham from the U.S. Geological Survey, visit this website.

Chatham Township residents who don’t have a sump pump and still need assistance because of flooding from their local fire department can contact Chatham Township Fire Department at 973-377-0100 if they are east of Noe Avenue. Those west of Noe Avenue can contact Green Village Fire Department at 973-377-7073.

To stay tuned to Chatham Borough and Township’s Municipal and Police Facebook Pages, see below for updates. In case of emergencies, dial 911, but numbers to dial both police departments directly are also below:

Chatham Borough
Chatham Borough Police - 973-635-8000
Chatham Township
Chatham Township Police - 973-377-0100

RELATED: Ida Leaves Behind Close to 7 Inches Of Rain In Chatham

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.