Thunderstorm Wind, Passaic
- When
- May 31, 10:05 PM EST
- Where
- Passaic County, Clifton
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.870, -74.150
Damaging Winds in New Jersey, May 31, 1998
Severe thunderstorms (in lines and clusters) formed and moved over parts of Northeast New Jersey. Severe thunderstorms produced high winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning.
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
- 5
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.
Severe thunderstorms (in lines and clusters) formed and moved over parts of Northeast New Jersey. They formed in a moist and unstable airmass ahead of an approaching cold front.Severe thunderstorms produced high winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning. High winds downed many trees onto power lines, houses, and cars. Trees were blown into houses in both Woodridge and in Clifton. Frequent lightning strikes also downed trees onto power lines and houses.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Bergen
- When
- May 31, 10:15 PM EST
- Where
- Bergen County, Woodridge
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.850, -74.070
Thunderstorm Wind, Bergen
- When
- May 31, 10:19 PM EST
- Where
- Bergen County, Lyndhurst
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.820, -74.120
Thunderstorm Wind, Bergen
- When
- May 31, 10:35 PM EST
- Where
- Bergen County, Saddle Brook
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.900, -74.120
Thunderstorm Wind, Essex
- When
- May 31, 10:38 PM EST
- Where
- Essex County, Newark
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.730, -74.180
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
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 31, 1998
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Wisconsin, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Michigan, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Massachusetts, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Vermont, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 31, 1998
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, May 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: 5659836, 5659837, 5659838, 5659839, 5659840.