Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex
- When
- August 16, 4:35 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, Edison
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.520, -74.400
Damaging Winds in New Jersey, August 16, 1997
A gust front from a squall line of severe thunderstorms knocked down trees in Edison. As the thunderstorms themselves moved across central Middlesex County, they reintensified and proceeded to cause scattered power outages mainly in the eastern half of the county as they downed more trees and wires.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 PHI wrote it up.
A gust front from a squall line of severe thunderstorms knocked down trees in Edison. As the thunderstorms themselves moved across central Middlesex County, they reintensified and proceeded to cause scattered power outages mainly in the eastern half of the county as they downed more trees and wires. About 35,000 homes and businesses in the Public Service Electric and Gas service area in central New Jersey lost power on the 16th; 4,000 still did not have power restored by the evening of the 17th.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:32 UTC.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex
- When
- August 16, 4:44 PM EST to 4:55 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, Sayreville to Browntown
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.470, -74.350
What these are
- 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
- Heat in Maryland, August 16 to 17, 1997
- Heat in Virginia, August 16 to 17, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, August 16, 1997
- Heat in District of Columbia, August 16 to 17, 1997
- Heat in Pennsylvania, August 16 to 17, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, August 16, 1997
- Damaging Winds in New York, August 16, 1997
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 16, 1997
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 16, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 16, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 16, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 16, 1997
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, August 1997
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: 5621640, 5621641.