NOAA, National Weather Service Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center Briefing

1. NOAA, National Weather ServiceMiddle Atlantic River Forecast Center Briefing 9am Thursday, May 1, 2014

2. Key Message • More than 6 inches of rain has occurred since Monday in parts of the Mid-Atlantic region. • Record flooding is now occurring on the Brandywine Creek at Wilmington, Delaware. • Major flooding is now occurring at several points in NJ and southeast PA. • Moderate flooding is occurring in Maryland & Virginia. • Several other points throughout the Mid-Atlantic are experiencing minor flooding. • The rain has nearly ended but river flooding may continue for a couple more days. • Monitor your river forecast at http://water.weather.gov

3. Major River Flooding • Major Flooding is occurring now (9am Thu May 1) at the pts colored in purple on this map: • Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, PA and Wilmington, DE (RECORD) • Millstone River at Blackwells Mills, Millstone & Griggstown, NJ • Neshaminy Creek at Langhorne, PA • Raritan River at Bound Brook & Manville, NJ • Schuylkill River at Norristown, PA

4. River Forecasts • MARFC river forecasts are in the process of being updated right now. All points will be updated this morning and posted to http://water.weather.gov in the next couple of hours.

5. Rain on the ground • This shows the total amount of rain that has already fallen since Monday. The mustard yellow color indicates areas that got over 6” this week! Most of this fell in the past 24 hours. • Very little additional rain is forecast.

6. MARFC Status • MARFC began 24 hour operations 6:30am Tuesday, April 29. We will remain open until the flood threat has ended. • MARFC is actively coordinating with our NWS Weather Forecast Offices and partners, such as the USACE & USGS.

7. Remember • This briefing is based on information from Thursday morning, May 1st. River forecasts may be updated at any time. Please monitor http://weather.gov/marfc for the latest information.

8. Flood Inundation Maps Excellent resource to understand your flood risk. Shows coverage and depth of flood waters. Can be used to plan evacuation routes & travel. Available at http://water.weather.gov for these points: • Chenango River at Chenango Forks & Greene • Delaware River at: Belvidere, Easton, Frenchtown, Matamoras/Port Jervis, Montague, New Hope/Lambertville, Riegelsville, Stockton & Trenton • Passaic River at: Chatham, Clifton (Dundee Dam), Little Falls & Millington • Pequannock River at Riverdale • Pompton River at Pompton Plains • Saddle River at Lodi, NJ • Susquehanna River at: Bainbridge, Binghamton, Conklin, Harrisburg, Owego, Unadilla, Vestal & Windsor • Unadilla River at Rockdale, NY • Upper Saddle River at Saddle, NJ • West Branch Susquehanna River at Jersey Shore, PA

9. Turn Around Don’t Drown • Over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into flood water. The next highest percentage of flood-related deaths is due to walking into or near flood waters. • People underestimate the force and power of water. • Many of the deaths occur in automobiles as they are swept downstream. • 6” of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It takes only two feet of rushing water to carry away most vehicles, including pickups and SUVs. • Flood waters may hide the fact that the road bed has been washed away. • Flooded roadways are particularly hard to see at night.

10. Need more info? • Contact your local NWS Weather Forecast Office • Binghamton, NY http://weather.gov/bgm • Blacksburg, VA http://weather.gov/rnk • Mt Holly, NJ http://weather.gov/phi • State College, PA http://weather.gov/ctp • New York City, NY http://weather.gov/okx • Sterling, VA http://weather.gov/lwx • Wakefield, VA http://weather.gov/akq • Email MARFC at: patricia.wnek@noaa.gov

11. Find MARFC Online at: • Homepage: http://weather.gov/marfc • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/US.NationalWeatherService.MARFC.gov • Twitter @NWSMARFC

12. Next MARFC Briefing • The next MARFC river flood briefing will be issued this afternoon.