These past few months have been rough in New Brunswick, New Jersey and the North East in general. First, there was the snow, possibly the most profuse in more than a century. Dr. David A. Robinson of Rutgers University [1] says it all:

“Unfortunately, snow records are not lengthy or complete at most locations around the state, but I am confident in stating that most locations established new monthly snowfall records for any winter month in at least the past 130 years.” [2]

Then there was the rain. The Raritan River rose several feet, burying several acres of riverside park, and several tens of thousands of trees.  “Except for central and northern New Jersey, rivers across the Mid-Atlantic are back within their banks, ending the flooding.”[3] An interesting video of a flooded Raritan-side Exxon can be found posted to Moxietoday.com, here; draw your own conclusions. Power was cut to several businesses and buildings from George Street in New Brunswick to Route 27 in Edison and beyond.  My own place of employment, Legal Grounds, didn’t open for lack of electricity. It was a hell of a job to remove the perishables to a safe location. Even as I write, some businesses and houses still wait to regain power.

All of this poor weather comes out of nowhere. Certainly, this is an exceptionally difficult way to start the year. The implications of the loss in revenue workers and businesses have sustained as a result of inclement weather have yet to fully appear. I know I missed several days of work when I could have used the hours.

And it’s not over yet. As a result of the massive February snowfall, a huge amount of precipitation still lingers in the area. As we approach spring, that moister will continue to bounce around between the upper hemisphere and the ground. If you haven’t already, go out and buy a raincoat and an umbrella, before you wish you had.

New Jersey, facing a massive budget deficit and an equally massive impending government spending cut, was perhaps the state hit hardest by the bad weather, cutting deeper into Jersey’s infrastructure maintenance budget.  As President Obama completes his first term, rarely seen weather conditions have everyone’s minds on climate change. As people struggle with an unprecedented recession, an unusual number of shifts are lost. Peoples’ nerves are stretched to the breaking point…It is certainly an interesting time to be alive…

Below, you will find a  94 picture slide show, just some photos I snapped while walking around New Brunswick these past weeks and days. They are by no means professional. The first set deals with the snow. Notice how everyone was walking in the streets that day for lack of a sidewalk. The second set deals with the rain and flooding, while the third depicts some of its aftermath. Make sure you note the difference in the water levels of the Raritan. To enlarge the slide show to full screen, click the bottom left hand corner. You can also pause, play or scroll through the show. Enjoy.

[1] New Jersey State Climatologist of the Rutgers University Center for Environmental Prediction, and School of Environmental and Biological Sciences/NJAES

[2] http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim/?section=menu&%20target=feb10

[3] http://www.weather.com/newscenter/stormwatch/