Flooding, 41 MPH Wind Gusts For Bergen County: Track Storm Debby, See Updates

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Tropical Storm Debby has already taken an estimated six lives on the East Coast, including two children. The storm made second landfall in South Carolina Thursday.

Debby is fewer than 600 miles from Bergen County. Click here to see the current distance you are from the storm.

The current significant river flood outlook map predicts flooding in parts of North Jersey.

The NWS also says winds could gust as high as 41 MPH starting at 11 a.m. Friday.

The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm by 11 a.m. on Monday and will likely be downgraded further by the time it bears down on North Jersey — but such storms have still proven dangerous in the past.

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

• Track Debby and other Atlantic storms here or here.

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.

For storms, depressions, and waves, wind speed and other factors come into play. The National Weather Services discuss the differences 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.
• Check for tropical storms 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.