Heavy Rain, Cumberland
- When
- December 17, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Cumberland County, Sea Breeze
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 39.328, -75.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 17, 2000
An unseasonably warm air mass and an intense low pressure system and cold front not only set the stage for an extremely windy day, but also produced heavy rain and flooding across southwest New Jersey. A series of showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours moved across the region during the first half of the 17th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- 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 PHI wrote it up.
An unseasonably warm air mass and an intense low pressure system and cold front not only set the stage for an extremely windy day, but also produced heavy rain and flooding across southwest New Jersey. A series of showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours moved across the region during the first half of the 17th. The heaviest rain fell in a band across eastern Salem County, western Cumberland County, central Gloucester and Camden Counties, northwest Burlington County and most of Mercer County. Doppler Radar storm total estimates were 1.5 to 3.0 inches within this band with the heaviest rain falling in Camden and Burlington Counties. In Willingboro (Burlington County), Beverly-Rancocas Road was closed because of a flooded creek. A flooded creek caused the closure of Rancocas Road in Westampton Township (Burlington County). In Mercer County, stream flooding caused the closure of a couple of roads in Princeton and Howell Townships. The heavy rain also caused flooding along the Assunpink Creek. In Trenton, the creek reached its 7 foot flood stage at 1130 a.m. EST, crested at 8.17 feet at 330 p.m. EST and was back within bankfull at 730 p.m. EST. Storm totals included 2.78 inches in Mount Laurel (Burlington County), 2.70 inches in Mount Holly (Burlington County), 2.26 inches in Hightstown (Mercer County), 2.24 inches in Willingboro (Burlington County), 2.12 inches in Hamilton Square (Mercer County), 1.63 inches in Seabrook (Cumberland County) and Somerdale (Camden County) and 1.30 inches in Verga (Gloucester County).
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 flash flood, 2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Salem
- When
- December 17, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Salem County, Countywide
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 39.577, -75.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Camden
- When
- December 17, 8:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Camden County, Central Portion
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 39.804, -74.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Gloucester
- When
- December 17, 8:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Gloucester County, Central Portion
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 39.717, -75.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Burlington
- When
- December 17, 8:30 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Burlington County, West Portion
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Mercer
- When
- December 17, 9:00 AM EST to 7:30 PM EST
- Where
- Mercer County, Countywide
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 40.283, -74.702 (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.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 17 to 18, 2000
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in New York, December 17 to 18, 2000
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Georgia, December 17, 2000
- Flash Flooding in New York, December 17, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 17, 2000
- Flash Flood in Vermont, December 17 to 18, 2000
- Flash Flooding in Pennsylvania, December 17, 2000
- Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, December 17, 2000
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, December 17, 2000
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Massachusetts, December 17 to 18, 2000
- Flash Flooding and High Wind in Connecticut, December 17, 2000
- High Wind in North Carolina, December 17, 2000
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, December 2000
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: 5168475, 5168476, 5168472, 5168473, 5168471, 5168474.