Agreed... the NWS came into the NYC forum to clarify that the 24-36" shading really meant 24-30... anyway, when your low amount is already a top 3 storm for the city, it's tough to justify. 18-24", hell, even 12-18 will get the public's attention! And you can always ramp up gradually if need be, and no one will notice.
People at work were just throwing out, "well, it looks like 3 feet for the city", as if that is something that is so easy to attain. That 24-36" range is a 1/50 - 1/200 year event for the city.
Not irresponsible, and certainly could have occurred (I was always skeptical for NJ), but let's just say overzealous.