Manville rainfall exceeds state total this year
By:Beth Kressel
Al Friguletto has owned the Flower Gallery on Main Street for 33 years. He has never seen such a rainy June since his business opened.
Towne Centre Hardware’s owner Dick McCurdy said that customers have commented, "I thought I lived in New Jersey; not in Seattle or London."
Record-breaking rainfall in June poured on Manville and the rest of New Jersey, causing frustration, bemusement and even more than the usual weather small talk.
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‘April showers bring May flowers, but this year you had to pick them by boat.’ Al Friguletto
The Flower Gallery |
On average, 3.8 inches of rainfall collect in New Jersey during the month of June and, with several days still left in the month, the state has already seen more than double that figure. Dave Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University, reports that this year’s June showers are likely to either approach or beat the 8.4-inch state record set in 1974.
Complete state data won’t be available for weeks, but Manville has been hit especially hard this year. Its nearly 10 inches of rainfall exceeds the current state total, and also the 9.6 inches reported in 1920 out of New Brunswick.
According to police, the Raritan and Millstone rivers and the Royce Brook in Manville are still swollen above flood stage, but are no threat to property, and they are not expected to be anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean people haven’t felt the rain’s effects.
"All I’ve been doing is pumping water out of my swimming pool rather than swimming in it. It’s been dismal," said Dr. Robinson, a resident of Hillsborough.
Cool temperatures have accompanied the precipitation, making air conditioning irrelevant and driving down the cost of gas and electric bills. Karen Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Public Service Electric & Gas Co., said that there was a 4.5 percent reduction in the number of kilowatt hours that PSE&G delivered to its customers. PSE&G, which serves three-quarters of the state, including residents and businesses in Manville, does not yet have a percentage comparison for June because the month is not yet over.
But ask Mr. Figuletto or Mr. McCurdy about the weather and they’ll tell you its affecting what people are buying, the availability of certain merchandise, and the moods of the soggy customers who enter the store.
"Normal springs are good for selling paint. This year, I haven’t sold what I normally do paint-wise," Mr. McCurdy said. "I’ve been selling a lot of roof tar to repair leaky roofs, sump pumps and rain gutters."
"People go for bright cheery colors to brighten things up," said Mr. Figuletto in reference to the bouquets that people are choosing this season. He added that many customers have been returning to replace the hanging plants that have succumbed to the excess water. And baby’s breath, used in many flower arrangements, has been molding before suppliers in Florida can pick it. Mr. Figuletto had to start ordering the flower from South America instead. "When it’s not available in once place, you can usually get it somewhere else," he said.
And the rain has been dampening more than just the greenery.
Said Mr. McCurdy, "People try to be in good spirits but it’s definitely causing some wear and tear."
If there’s a downside to all this rain, some still remember the drought of last summer and are thankful for this year’s precipitation.
"The good part of this is that we don’t have to talk about drought," said Dr. Robinson. "As the state climatologist, when we get into a drought, things become very busy for me in terms of advising and consulting the media, businesses and industries, and state government.
"Now I can look at the national drought assessment map in curiosity. But for me it’s now a non-issue."
Mr. Friguletto also took a professional view of the rain. He said, "April showers bring May flowers, but this year you had to pick them by boat."