Tropical Storm Debby's Impact On Mahwah: Track Storm, See Timing

MAHWAH, NJ — A flood watch is in effect for Mahwah from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday, the National Weather Service said — but the bigger disturbance may come Friday with the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby.

The current flood watch runs from Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 2 p.m. until Wednesday, Aug. 7 at noon, the NWS says. Up to an inch of rain may fall.

Debby's Downgraded, But Don't Be Fooled

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Debby drenched Florida on Monday as a category 1 hurricane, taking four lives, including two children, said the Associated Press.

The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm by 11 a.m. Monday, but such storms have proven dangerous in the Northeast.

In September 2021, Hurricane Ida reached New Jersey as a tropical depression, yet took an estimated 30 lives in flash floods.

What's the difference between a hurricane, tropical storm, tropical depression, and tropical wave?

Hurricanes must have surface winds 75 m.p.h. or higher. See how hurricanes are categorized here.

With storms and waves, the wind speed and other factors come into play. The National Weather Services discusses the differences here.

Friday's Forecast And Storm Tracking

Storm Debby is expected to arrive in New Jersey on Friday as a tropical depression. The NWS says there's an 80 percent change of rain Friday night in the Mahwah area.

• Follow the up-to-date Mahwah area forecast here.
• Track Debby and other Atlantic storms here or here.

Other Handy Links

Forecasting weather is an imperfect science, so it's best to be prepared, then to check the most up-to-date numbers:

• Keep an eye on the radar here.
  
• See the Accuweather Minutecast here.
• See a current map of all watches and warnings in New Jersey here.

See the updated NWS forecasts, watches, and warnings for North Jersey:

• Bergen County here
• Essex County here
• Hudson County here

What about the rivers? This NWS map of the United States will show the potential for flooding.

Come back to Patch for updates.