The yellow area was abnormally dry as of Tues. June 3 and the brown area is in a moderate drought (Source: U.S. Drought Monitor)
New Jersey's dry spell is not over, despite the rain in recent days, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Nearly three-fifths of the Garden State, including all of Monmouth County and northern Ocean County, was still abnormally dry as of Tuesday, according to the monitor. Almost 6 percent of the state - a swath of northwestern New Jersey - was in a moderate drought.
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Last week, 83 percent of the state was abnormally dry or in a moderate drought, according to the monitor.
"Without question, the rains of Sunday-Tuesday ... and the cool temperatures this week are just what NJ needed to stave off encroaching drought conditions," said David A. Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist who is based at Rutgers University.
"Whether this week represents a temporary break from the warmth and dryness of May or signifies a pattern change remains to be seen," he said in an email.
"What we need in the weeks and months ahead is average and timely rainfall and we'll be okay," he said. "Without the liquid gold of this past week, we might have fallen into an abyss that would have taken some very hefty rains to exit."
Last month was the third driest May since 1895 in New Jersey, with only 1.08 inches of rain falling, on average, according to a monthly report by Robinson. The record is 0.53 inches in May 1903, followed by 0.94 inches in May 1964.
Last month was also the third warmest May on record, averaging 66 degrees, according to Robinson's report. May 2004 is the warmest (66.2 degrees), followed by May 1991 (66.1 degrees). Four of the eight warmest Mays have been since 2004.
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National Weather Service outlooks suggest a return to above-average temperatures but also indicate above average precipitation, according to Robinson.
"So the news is generally good for now, and hopefully the remainder of the summer," he said. "I'm speaking in general for NJ, as not everyone shared in the abundant rain this week, though most everywhere received at least an inch (which is about a weekly average most any time of the year). Central NJ came up as one of the 'drier' areas (Cape May, too)."
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In 90 days through Wednesday, Monmouth County received 7.3 inches of precipitation, or 4.4 below average, according to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center. Ocean County received 8.4 inches, or 3.1 below average.
But Toms River got a whopping 4 to 5 inches of rain in a short time on May 28, Robinson has said.
The torrential rain led to flash flooding, stranding some motorists who had to be helped from their vehicles.
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Precipitation deficits over 90 days through June 3, 2015 (Source: Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center)
