Full Notification

Good morning from the Mountain Lakes Office of Emergency Management,

We are currently monitoring the weather forecast details for today December 22nd, through tomorrow, December 23rd. At this time, the National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Morris County.

This is in addition to a Flood Watch which remains in effect from this evening at 7:00pm through Friday evening at 7:00pm during which excessive rainfall is possible.

The current forecast data suggests that rain showers are expected to move into our area around midday today. Rain is expected to continue throughout the afternoon and increase throughout the evening hours. We expect that the rain will become lighter just before dawn tomorrow and continue through mid-morning.

The rain will pick up again as a cold front moves into our area. A small amount of snow (½”) or ice is possible as temperatures drop. The temperature is expected to drop midday tomorrow from approximatey 50 degrees to well below freezing. Wind speeds will vary between 10 – 20 mph with gusts potentially over 40 mph. The heaviest, torrential rain is expected this evening. Poor drainage, flooding issues, and ice remain a concern. Please keep this in mind if driving on the roadways tomorrow.  Total rainfall amounts of 1- 2” are forecasted with isolated amounts up to 2.5” possible.  High wind gusts have the potential to impact electrical lines. We have been speaking with our partners at Jersey Central Power & Light. They have brought in additional crews and we will be working closely with them throughout the duration of this weather event.

Please keep in mind that Mountain Lakes Police Dispatch (Morris County Communications 911 Center) tends to get extremely busy during storms and weather-related events. We would like to make sure that we allow our professional 911 operators to focus on the true emergencies that occur. In the event that you experience a power outage, please make sure the outage gets reported to Jersey Central Power and Light (https://www.firstenergycorp.com/outages_help/Report_Power_Outages.html).  This can be done from your cell phone if you do not have access to a computer or have a power related issue by clicking “My Location”. In addition, please do not call 911 for trees or electrical lines that are down unless those issues relate to an immediate emergency or life safety hazard. 911 should be limited to True Emergencies Only.

We wish everyone a Happy Holiday and Healthy New Year.

Stay safe!