More Details On Pre-Halloween Storm In NJ

A storm posing a "tropical threat" will bring the potential for flooding and damaging winds to New Jersey on Sunday and Monday, forecasters say. Sunny skies, however, are expected for Halloween.

An area of showers and thunderstorms continued to gather from the tropics and will move north, according to AccuWeather. Wind gusts could move as fast as 40 to 75 mph.

Wind could bring down tree limbs, topple weakly rooted trees and lead to power outages. The storm could resemble a nor'easter, forecasters say, with tropical storm characteristics.

The storm will accelerate northward on a path that roughly parallels the southern Atlantic coast of the U.S. on Sunday, prior to racing northward across New Jersey Sunday night and Monday.

Ironically, the storm will arrive on Sunday, the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, the worst storm ever to hit New Jersey that left a path of destruction in its wake.

"While the window for development is likely to close soon, this area of downpours may still organize into a tropical depression or storm into this weekend," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said in a release.

Here are some more details:

• The first rain could actually arrive after 5 p.m. on Saturday and last until 11 a.m. on Monday.
• How strong the storm becomes will determine the severity of the weather conditions not only in Florida, but also farther north along the Atlantic coast.
• Regardless of official tropical storm designation or not, this storm will pack a punch in terms of the consequences of heavy rainfall and gusty winds in a large part of the Northeast later this weekend into the start of the new week.
• The greatest risk of urban flooding and damaging winds will extend from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to the Delmarva Peninsula, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and New York state and much of New England.
• This area is likely to receive between 2 and 6 inches of rain in 12 to 24 hours. Much of that rain may fall in six to 12 hours. Locally higher amounts are possible.
• Travel conditions will deteriorate from south to north on Sunday and Sunday night. Airline delays will increase at the major hubs from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.

"Street flooding is likely, especially where leaves have fallen," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams said in a release. "The leaves can block storm drains."

Here is the forecast:

• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
• Friday night: Clear, with a low around 51. South wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Light south wind increasing to 8 to 13 mph in the morning.
• Saturday night: Showers likely, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 67. Southeast wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 40-60 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
• Sunday night: Showers. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
• Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 59.
• Monday night Mostly clear, with a low around 44.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
• Tuesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42.

Patch file photo