Chiropractor in Millstone, NJ

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — A new "massive" winter storm system approaching Somerset County is expected to drop excessive rain on Tuesday leading to significant flooding in the area.

The National Weather Service projects the Raritan River in Manville and Bound Brook, the North Branch Raritan River on the Branchburg and Bridgewater border, and the Millstone River in Blackwells Mills are all expected to hit "moderate" flood levels by Wednesday morning.

The Raritan River in Manville is expected to hit the "minor flood stage" by 1 a.m. on Wednesday at 14 feet before rising to 17 feet around 7 a.m. Wednesday. It will then continue to rise to 18.5 feet by 1 p.m. on Wednesday before dropping back down on Thursday.

The Raritan River in Bound Brook will follow a similar timeline hitting a high of 32.3 feet by 1 p.m. on Wednesday - which is just below the "major flood stage" of 33 feet.

The North Branch Raritan River on the Branchburg and Bridgewater border is projected to hit a high of 13.2 feet by 1 p.m. on Wednesday, which is the "moderate flood stage."

The Millstone River is expected to hit the "moderate flood stage" at 12.8 feet by Wednesday at 1 p.m. However, unlike the rivers above, the river will remain in the "moderate flood stage" through Thursday.

The winter storm is expected to roll in during the latter part of Tuesday and continue into Wednesday. Heavy rain will fall with 1 to 3 inches expected and up to 4 inches possible in some areas.

Couple that with snow melt and moderate to major river flooding is possible.

Forecasters are saying that excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Area creeks and streams are running high and are expected to flood with more heavy rain.

In mid-December, heavy rain caused flooding and rivers to hit "major" and "moderate" flood stages in the county. Read More: Rushing Rivers Flood Roads, Parks In Bridgewater: Videos, Photos

Residents are reminded to "Turn around, don't drown."

Here is a look at the weather ahead:

Monday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 23. Calm wind.

Tuesday: Rain, mainly after 1 p.m. High near 48. East wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 45. Breezy, with a southeast wind 20 to 25 mph becoming south after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Wednesday: Rain before 7 a.m., then a slight chance of showers between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. High near 50. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32.

For the third time in three weeks, New Jersey will be battered by a winter storm that will bring heavy rains and the possibility of flooding and damaging winds.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from 1 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The flooding is forecast to be somewhere between the levels in the two previous storms on Dec. 19 and Dec. 28.

A high wind advisory is in effect from 5 p.m. Tuesday to 3 a.m. Wednesday.

The rain will be light and spotty Tuesday morning until it picks up in intensity at about 1 p.m. and will remain heavy until about 1 a.m. when it will begin to taper off. About 2 to 2.5 inches of rain are expected to fall.

More:Gov. Phil Murphy declares state of emergency for NJ in advance of major storm Tuesday

The wind will start picking up early Tuesday afternoon and is predicted to reach its peak speed at about 9 p.m. with occasional gusts in Central Jersey reaching 46 mph.

Winds are forecast to be 20 to 25 mph from about 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Because the storm will be tracking through the Ohio Valley into the Great Lakes region, Central Jersey will be on the warm side with temperatures rising to near 55 degrees at midnight.

Moderate flooding is predicted for the Raritan and Millstone rivers.

The Raritan River at Manville is predicted to start rising rapidly Tuesday evening and will reach a crest of 17.8 feet Wednesday afternoon. Flood stage is 14 feet.

In comparison, the river crested on Dec. 28 at 16.4 feet and on Dec. 19 it crested at 19.8 feet

The Raritan River at Bound Brook is also expected to rise rapidly late Tuesday evening and reach a crest of 31.8 feet Wednesday afternoon. Flood stage is 28 feet.

In comparison, the river crested on Dec. 28 at 29.6 feet and on Dec. 19 it crested at 33.72 feet.

The Millstone River at Blackwells Mills is also expected to rise rapidly Tuesday evening and a reach a crest of 12.6 feet after midnight Wednesday. Flood stage is 9 feet.

And the parade of storms is not over for Central Jersey.

More rain and wind are expected from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

MILLSTONE, NJ — Do you yearn for TacoZ, TortaZ and SaladZ?

Then you may want to try the new Z Taco Mexican fusion restaurant that opened recently at 514 Route 33 west in Millstone.

Created by two lifelong friends with a passion for food and entertaining - and the letter "Z," Z Taco features casual lunch and an "elevated sit-down dining experience" for dinner, the owners say.

Dan Bonham and Chris Zinna opened the restaurant June 17.

The lunch menu includes TacoZ and TortaZ, a Mexican sandwich made on freshly-baked, traditional bolillo bread, as well as plenty of AppetizerZ and SaladZ.

Dinner offers an expanded taco menu as well as a number of entrees such as Pineapple Marinated Ribs and Smothered Chicken. There is also Chorizo and Clams and Street Corn. The menu also includes locally sourced fruits and vegetables from area farmers - and their own gardens, when available.

Bonham said they saw an opportunity to bring a new type of Mexican restaurant to the Central Jersey area, and he said the feedback has been great from customers with a yen for the cuisine.

Z Taco is part of the Biztro Hospitality restaurants that includes Zinna's Bistro in Cranbury, and operates a fleet of food trucks, including New Jersey's biggest food truck, according to the owners.

Bonham and Zinna met when Zinna moved next door to Bonham in high school. Zinna went right to work as an entrepreneur and Bonham went to Rutgers University. Both men are in their early 50s, and so have lots of experience.

Bonham said he worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years and now runs his own human resources and multimedia services companies. Zinna has operated Zinna's Bistro off Route 130 in an office complex in Cranbury for 13 years.

The two also have a big food truck business. Bonham said they have two actual trailers carried by truck cabs that serve major corporate or municipal events - Jerzey Eatz. Again the Z. They also have smaller food trucks, one for tacos, another for grilled foods and one for lemonade.

But despite juggling his many business ventures, Bonham said he is in the Z Taco restaurant four days a week, and Zinna is even more hands on. Plus they have a general manager for the restaurant, he added.

And their attention to detail has reaped rewards.

"The experience and feedback from the greater Millstone community has been nothing short of amazing so far," said Bonham.

And he said he and Zinna hope to build relationships with customers and businesses in the area.

And with special events planned, the locale can become quite a destination.

Some things to look for in the future are TacoZ and Tequila Tasting - and a "few other brainstorms that are in the works," Bonham said.

Co-owner Zinna gave the restaurant staff lots of credit for the smooth opening.

"Our kitchen along with the front of house staff has done a great job in such a short amount of time and we look forward to growing in the future," Zinna said.

The restaurant offers catering too, its website notes. It is open for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. it is open on Mondays for catering, private parties, and food truck events.

You can keep in touch with the restaurant by following its newsletter. Also, you can follow Z Taco on social media at @EatZTaco and visit the Z Taco website at www.EatZTaco.com.

PHILADELPHIA – Last April, Liam Murphy missed the Penn Relays with an illness. He was getting sick a lot, feeling run down and disappointed in his progress as a member of Villanova University’s storied men’s track & field program.

“I definitely wasn’t committed to fully training hard and doing all the things I could have been doing,” Murphy said.

So the Millstone resident and Allentown High School grad laid out a plan with Villanova’s head coach Marcus O’Sullivan, a former world-record holder and Olympian in the mile. It centered around getting more sleep, eating better and a laser-like focus on training.

“He said, ‘It’s up to you if you want to commit, but you have the potential to be really good,’” Murphy said. “I reevaluated what I was doing and changed my habits.”

More:Penn Relays: Rumson-Fair Haven girls blaze top NJ time; Ajee' Wilson wins with style

Furious sprint, 24 hours after anchoring Villanova distance medley

Did he ever. Murphy is enjoying a breakout junior year that reached new heights Saturday when he anchored Villanova to victory in the 4xmile at the Penn Relays. And he didn’t just break the tape. He roared back from ninth place to first during a furious sprint over the final 150 meters. This was 24 hours after anchoring Villanova’s distance medley to second place with a 4:03 split for 1600 meters.

“It was surreal,” Murphy said. “(Friday's distance medley) didn’t really come out the way we wanted – I was in a similar spot and I unfortunately lost. I think I went (to kick) too early. Today the plan was definitely to wait.”

So he waited, and waited, and waited. At the end of a tactical anchor leg (his victorious split would be 4:10), there were seven runners in the lead pack as they rounded the final turn.

“I got a little nervous that I was too far behind,” Murphy said. “I trusted what my coach was saying – relax and be the last one to go –and it worked out.”

Sub-4 mile bucket list achievement

It worked out. You can say that for everything Murphy’s done since the summer. Banking eight hours of sleep per night, he became:

-- The NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional champion in cross country.

-- Big East gold medalist in the 3000 meters indoors.

-- A member of the sub-4 mile club. He ran 3:55.58 indoors.

“That definitely felt special,” he said of breaking 4 minutes. “Probably the biggest thing everyone talks about in distance running in trying to go under 4. It was on my lifetime bucket list. It’s cool to be able to check that off.”

More:Here are the Teams of the Week for 10 high school spring sports - Week 4

Add a Penn Relays victory to the list. Murphy ran at the prestigious meet as a junior in high school but didn’t fare well, finishing eighth in the 3000. It was canceled the next two years due to the pandemic, then he was ill last year. It looked like the stars never would align for him at Franklin Field.

Murphy made them align. His comeback in the final lap was a year in the making.

“A coming-of-age moment,” O’Sullivan called it.

One of the biggest prizes in all of track & field is a Penn Relays wheel – a huge, round, ornate wooden plaque awarded to winners of the championship relay races. This was Villanova’s 95th wheel. Murphy has earned his place in the Wildcats pantheon and learned a valuable lesson to boot.

“There are a lot of ups and downs that come with running,” he said. “It’s very easy to lose confidence. But if you put in the work, it adds up. It will definitely pay off.”

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

A dish of steak and eggs was the golden ticket for Ryan Walker of Millstone Township, a 33-year-old former construction superintendent whose culinary skills have earned him a spot on Fox's cooking competition, "MasterChef: United Tastes of America."

Walker made his dish on the first episode of the show's 13th season, which premiered in late May. It wasn't the Jersey diner version of steak and eggs, either: He cooked a filet mignon medium rare, then topped it with eggs wrapped around caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese.

"It's definitely a risk to cook simple steak and eggs for 'MasterChef,' but they've never seen steak and eggs like this," he said on the episode. "I made it up, and it's delicious."

The winner of the show — which airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays and is judged by chefs Gordon Ramsay and Aarón Sánchez and restaurateur Joe Bastianich — takes home $250,000.

"I think what we saw here is genuinely and extremely thoughtful preparation of an extremely simple dish, and at its core, beautiful cooking is that: It's simple things done perfectly," said guest judge Daphne Oz, who with Ramsay and Bastianich voted for Walker to move on in the competition.

Walker is relatively new to cooking, having embraced a healthy lifestyle after recovering from a decade of addiction. He learned to cook by watching others online, and while his culinary journey started with the keto diet — which explains the steak and eggs — he now focuses on whole, natural, non-GMO foods.

"After I got clean and felt right, I started looking at the aspects of my life," he said during a phone interview from Millstone Township. "I was 50 pounds overweight.

"I got so into food when I got clean. I started cooking, then I started posting on social media," Walker said. "As my social media account grew, I was doing some original recipes, some interesting stuff, and the show reached out."

More:NJ chef Britt Rescigno's magical run ends on Food Network's 'Tournament of Champions'

"MasterChef: United Tastes of America" filmed earlier this year on the West Coast. Walker could not share details of how he did, but he credits the experience with putting him on a new path.

"It’s definitely a high-pressure scenario, cooking competitively like that with time limits," he said. "It definitely made me elevate my game and step up my cooking ... from having my mise en place to my knife-work skills.

"It was just a great experience," he said.

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Walker has since left the construction business in pursuit of opening his own restaurant, which he plans to name The Steak and the Egg. He is raising chickens, tending his large garden, and creating a menu of dishes.

"I really can’t thank 'MasterChef' enough because the way the timing worked out gave me the kick in the butt to get started," he said.

Walker will next appear on the show on Wednesday, June 21.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.