New Jersey, 1996

Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in New Jersey, July 8, 1996

July 8, 1996 · NWS OKX · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

Thunderstorms produced torrential rain, frequent lightning, and gusty winds. Torrential rain caused flash flooding along Route 22 in the vicinity of Scotch Plains in Union County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OKX wrote it up.

Clusters of strong thunderstorms developed in a moist unstable airmass ahead of a slow moving cold front.Thunderstorms produced torrential rain, frequent lightning, and gusty winds. Torrential rain caused flash flooding along Route 22 in the vicinity of Scotch Plains in Union County. Flash flooding of small streams also occurred. In Clifton of Passaic County, a 15 year old boy was swept into Weasal Brook and died.Lightning struck a house in New Providence of Union County.Strong wind gusts knocked down a tree onto a house in Hoboken in Hudson County.

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:41 UTC.

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Event by event

4 flash flood, 1 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Union

When
July 8, 5:15 PM EST
Where
Union County, Garwood
Coordinates
40.660, -74.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Union

When
July 8, 5:26 PM EST
Where
Union County, Scotch Plains
Coordinates
40.660, -74.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Hudson

When
July 8, 6:40 PM EST
Where
Hudson County, Hoboken
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
40.730, -74.070

Flash Flood, Passaic

When
July 8, 6:40 PM EST
Where
Passaic County, Clifton
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
41.034, -74.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Union

When
July 8, 7:33 PM EST
Where
Union County, Elizabeth
Coordinates
40.660, -74.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Passaic

When
July 8, 9:30 PM EST
Where
Passaic County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.034, -74.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Flash Flood, Passaic1996-07-0815MaleIn WaterDirect

What these are

Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, July 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5583754, 5583755, 5583756, 5583757, 5583758, 5583759.