The way N.J. State Climatologist David Robinson saw it, Tropical Storm Fay was “liquid gold.”

“It was getting abnormally dry up to that point in many parts of the state,” he said. “A couple weeks ago, I said that if we didn’t get a good soaker, we might have to start issuing drought advisories. But we can’t sit on our laurels. It’s still going to get real hot, and it might get abnormally dry again.”