Tropical Storm Fay slightly picked up speed and strength as it moved closer to land Friday, and forecasters decreased projections for rain totals and flooding.
By KAREN MATTHEWS and MICHAEL HILL
NEW YORK (AP) — Fast-moving Tropical Storm Fay made landfall in New Jersey on Friday amid heavy, lashing rains that closed beaches and flooded shore town streets.
The storm system was expected to bring 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain, with the possibility of minor coastal flooding from New Jersey to Rhode Island as well as flash flooding, The U. S. National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. advisory. That’s down from earlier forecasts of about 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 centimeters) of rain. The storm made landfall along the coast of New Jersey about 10 miles (15 kilometers) northeast of Atlantic City, according to national forecasters.
Several beaches in Delaware had been temporarily closed because of the storm. And police in Ocean City asked drivers to avoid southern parts of the tourist town because flooding had already made some roads impassable. Some streets in the New Jersey shore towns of Sea Isle City and Wildwood were flooded, according to social media posts. Seaside Heights, New Jersey, reported a sustained wind of 37 mph (60 kph) and New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport reported a wind gust of 45 mph (72 kph), said forecasters.
