Superstorm Sandy Delivers Major Blow to New Jersey

By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

October 30,2012; 3:25PM,EDT

Sandy will bring locally drenching downpours across hard-hit New Jersey and surrounding states through tonight.
Portions of New Jersey will continue to receive pockets of rainfall that can hamper clean-up efforts through tonight.
Southeastern and south-central portions of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and northern Virginia will continue to receive locally heavy rainfall through tonight that might lead to localized flooding. Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Wilmington, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., are among the cities that should watch for urban flooding issues from additional rainfall into tonight.

The Stats Are In: Superstorm Sandy Totals

Photos: Sandy's Winds Whip New Jersey

While floodwaters trickle downstream, moderate flooding is forecast on Wednesday along the Potomac River due to Sandy's rainfall, including near Washington, D.C., at Little Falls.

By Wednesday, the rain will be tapering off from south to north across the mid-Atlantic. A few rain showers will be leftover across southeastern and south-central portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.
Winds will start to ease on Wednesday as well; however, it will remain breezy through the rest of the week with sustained winds of 10-20 mph and locally higher gusts.
It will feel chilly through late-week with a gusty breeze factored in, while thousands of people will likely still be dealing with power outages. Highs will be held in the 50s on Thursday and Friday with lows dipping into the upper 30s and lower 40s.
Sandy Batters Mid-Atlantic Region
Extensive flooding occurred in coastal areas of New Jersey and along the Atlantic coast of Maryland due to Sandy's storm surge on Monday.

"Iconic AC pier - destroyed!" tweeted Serena Marshall on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012.

Large sections of the Atlantic City Boardwalk were floating around in the floodwaters, while famous piers were destroyed.
Besides destruction of famous piers and landmarks, significant beach erosion occurred along the New Jersey coast.
Minor storm surge flooding also occurred in the Chesapeake Bay. Early Tuesday at at high tide, minor tidal flooding was occurring around Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
While water surged toward the coast, torrential rainfall and high winds pounded the mid-Atlantic region.
Peak wind gusts include: 60 mph in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; 88 mph in Montclair, N.J.; 81 mph in Allentown, Pa.; 79 mph in Highland Beach, Md.; and 79 mph in Chester Gap, Va.
Governor Christie said early Tuesday that there were 2.4 million customers with no electricity in New Jersey, twice the number of power outages caused by Irene in 2011.