New Jersey, 1998

Heavy Rain in New Jersey, March 8 to 9, 1998

March 8 to 9, 1998 · NWS OKX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

S. S.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

Two low pressure systems formed along a front over the Southeast U.S. One low formed over the Western Gulf of Mexico and another formed off the Southeast U.S. Coast. As both lows moved north-northeast, they intensified. A strong moist east wind flow developed ahead of the approaching strong warm front.This system produced widespread heavy rainfall including thunderstorms that caused urban flooding across parts of the region. Some low-lying and poor drainage areas, including streets were flooded throughout the area. Rainfall began around 11:30 am on March 8th and became heavy producing flooding by the times indicated above.This system also produced strong wind gusts from 30 to 40 mph that in combination with the heavy rain caused some small tree limbs to fall.Rainfall amounts generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Here are selected rainfall amounts:o For Union County, 2.03 inches was measured at Canoe Brook.o For Essex County, from 1.44 inches at Essex Fells to 2.69 inches at Verona. At Newark Airport, 1.66 inches of rain fell. At Newark Airport, a new daily rainfall record was set. A total of 1.13 inches fell on the 9th which broke the old daily record of 0.82 (1942).o For Hudson County, 1.69 inches of rain fell at Harrison.o For Bergen County, from 1.67 inches at Oakland to 2.41 inches at Franklin Lake.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Union

When
March 8, 11:00 PM EST to March 9, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Union County, Countywide
Coordinates
40.660, -74.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Essex

When
March 8, 11:30 PM EST to March 9, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Essex County, Countywide
Coordinates
40.787, -74.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Hudson

When
March 8, 11:30 PM EST to March 9, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Hudson County, Countywide
Coordinates
40.731, -74.076 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Bergen

When
March 9, 12:30 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Bergen County, Countywide
Coordinates
40.960, -74.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, March 1998

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: 5637035, 5637036, 5637037, 5637038.