Hurricane Sandy is expected to pass through the Delaware Basin early next week and has the potential to bring heavy rains, strong winds, storm surge, and flooding to the basin. Preparations are currently underway in all four basin states to deal with what could be significant impacts. While the exact amount of rainfall and storm track is still somewhat uncertain, the potential for storm-related problems is real. There is also the potential for flooding after the storm vacates our area as runoff travels down-river from upstream points.

The Delaware River Basin Commission is neither an emergency management agency offering 24/7 coverage nor a weather forecasting agency. DRBC gets weather-related information - watches, warnings, statements, precipitation data, river rise forecasts, etc. - from the National Weather Service (NWS) through their web site, as well as from informational briefings given by their meteorologists.

DRBC tries to make it easy for the public and media to find flood-related information by creating links to very good NWS web pages from the DRBC's hydrological information page at http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/hydrological/. Many of the links listed below are also found at the aforementioned web page; however, we also include here links to some Sandy-specific information.

DRBC advises everyone to monitor the storm's progress closely and to take steps to ensure their personal safety. FEMA offers the following guidance: (1) stay informed of the latest forecast; (2) know your evacuation plan; (3) have your emergency kit ready, and (4) review and practice your family's emergency plan. More information is available at www.fema.gov.

Please pay special attention to the NWS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) river rise forecast pages, which will be updated routinely during the storm and beyond and show current river stages as well as forecasted river rises. Be sure to refresh often as the forecasts are updated more frequently during potential flooding events. Sandy's track and NWS forecasts are subject to change, so it is important to keep up to date on the most current information that is available. Please be alert for rising water levels and follow instructions of emergency personnel. A NOAA weather radio is also a great source of information in case of power outages that would impact obtaining information from TV or online.

• AHPS RIVER RISE FORECAST PAGES
  • INTERACTIVE MAP FOR THE UPPER BASIN (INCLUDES LOCATIONS ON SEVERAL TRIBUTARIES AND ALSO THE FOLLOWING POINTS ON THE MAIN STEM DELAWARE)
    • CALLICOON
    • BARRYVILLE
    • MATAMORAS/PORT JERVIS
    • MONTAGUE
  • INTERACTIVE MAP FOR THE LOWER BASIN (INCLUDES LOCATIONS ON SEVERAL TRIBUTARIES AND ALSO THE FOLLOWING POINTS ON THE MAIN STEM DELAWARE)
    • TOCKS ISLAND
    • BELVIDERE
    • EASTON
    • RIEGELSVILLE
    • FRENCHTOWN
    • STOCKTON
    • NEW HOPE-LAMBERTVILLE BRIDGE
    • WASHINGTON CROSSING
    • TRENTON
• FLOOD INUNDATION MAPS (FOR THE FOLLOWING MAIN STEM DELAWARE LOCATIONS; MAPS ALSO LINKED FROM EACH RESPECTIVE AHPS FORECAST POINT PAGE)
  • MATAMORAS/PORT JERVIS
  • MONTAGUE
  • BELVIDERE
  • EASTON
  • RIEGELSVILLE
  • FRENCHTOWN
  • STOCKTON
  • NEW HOPE-LAMBERTVILLE
  • TRENTON

Please Note: On February 3, 2012, NWS improved all nine Delaware River flood inundation maps and user interface. Enhancements include Google maps with terrain and transportation layers, higher resolution satellite imagery, and the increased ability to zoom and pan. View the NWS public information statement for more details (pdf 56 KB). You can also view the earlier NWS public information statements from August 24, 2010 and July 6, 2011 which announced the original availability of the maps.

• NWS BINGHAMTON LOCAL FORECAST OFFICE (UPPER BASIN)
  • HOME PAGE
  • RIVER AND FLOOD STATEMENTS
  • EMERGENCY MANAGERS PAGE
• NWS MOUNT HOLLY/PHILADELPHIA LOCAL FORECAST OFFICE (LOWER BASIN)
  • HOME PAGE
  • RIVER AND FLOOD STATEMENTS
  • EMERGENCY MANAGERS PAGE
• NWS MID-ATLANTIC RIVER FORECAST CENTER (MARFC)
  • MARFC HOME PAGE
  • MARFC SELF-BRIEFING PAGE
  • UNDERSTANDING THE RIVER FORECAST PROCESS (MARFC FACT SHEET; pdf)
  • UNCERTAINTY IN RIVER FORECASTS (MARFC FACT SHEET; pdf)
  • FLASHFLOOD GUIDANCE
  • HEADWATER FLOOD GUIDANCE
  • PRECIPITATION FORECASTS
  • HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL DISCUSSION
  • SIGNIFICANT FLOOD OUTLOOK
• NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
  • HOME PAGE
  • HURRICANE SANDY PAGE
  • STORM SURGE PROBABILITIES
• NWS QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECAST (1- to 5-day precipitation forecasts)
• NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) WEATHER RADIO

• NEW YORK CITY RESERVOIR INFORMATION (CANNONSVILLE, PEPACTON AND NEVERSINK)
  • NYCDEP CURRENT RESERVOIR LEVELS
  • STATEMENT FROM DEPUTY COMMISSIONER PAUL RUSH ON WATERSHED STORM PREPARATIONS (10/26/12 NYCDEP PRESS RELEASE)
  • NEW YORK CITY DELAWARE RIVER BASIN STORAGE COMPILED BY DRBC STAFF (UPDATED 10/26/12)
  • DELAWARE RIVER FLOW AND STORAGE DATA COMPILED BY DRBC STAFF (UPDATED 10/26/12)
• ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS RESERVOIR INFORMATION (JADWIN DAM, PROMPTON LAKE, F.E. WALTER DAM, BELTZVILLE LAKE, AND BLUE MARSH LAKE)
  • MAIN DELAWARE RIVER BASIN PAGE
• PPL LAKE WALLENPAUPACK INFORMATION
  • LAKE WALLENPAUPACK HOME PAGE
  • LAKE ELEVATION LEVEL

Note: Emergency managers and all others involved with water management decisions should reference USGS web sites as the primary source for real-time stream flow data. USGS data are reviewed and corrected often, thus offering the most accurate information for decision making.

• DELAWARE REAL-TIME STREAM FLOW DATA
• NEW JERSEY REAL-TIME STREAM FLOW DATA
• NEW YORK REAL-TIME STREAM FLOW DATA
• PENNSYLVANIA REAL-TIME STREAM FLOW DATA