Flash Flood, Sussex
- When
- December 17, 8:30 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Sussex County, Countywide
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.140, -74.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding 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 Northwest New Jersey hitting Sussex County again the hardest. 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; 3 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
- 3
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 Northwest New Jersey hitting Sussex County again the hardest. A series of showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours moved across the region during the first half of the 17th. Doppler Radar storm total estimates indicated a widespread area of 2.5 to 4.0 inches of rain fell across most of Warren and Sussex Counties. In Morris County, the heaviest rain fell along its western and eastern borders with storm estimates of 2.0 to 2.5 inches. The heavy rain caused poor drainage flooding and also led to the flooding of streams, especially the smaller ones, in the region.In Sussex County, a local state of emergency was declared in Branchville Borough as several creeks were flooding over bridges and streets. Flooded streams were reported in Hamburg Borough, Hampton Township, Frankford Township, Fredon Township, Montague Township, Newton Borough, Sandyston Township and Stillwater Township. The Walkill River was spilling over the Franklin Pond Dam in Franklin Borough. In Newton, 30 homes had flooded basements. Many roads were flooded and closed. U.S. Route 206 was closed between Newton and Andover. Sections of New Jersey State Route 94 were closed in Newton, Hamburg and Hardyston. In Warren County, a mobile home park was evacuated in Washington Township. Parkland was flooded within Blairstown. In Morris County,. creek flooding forced the closure of a roadway in Chatham. Storm totals included 3.92 inches in High Point (Sussex County), 3.89 inches in Wantage (Sussex County), 3.86 inches in Hackettstown (Warren County), 3.20 inches in Sparta Township (Sussex County), 3.03 inches in Vernon Township (Sussex County), 3.65 inches in Washington Township (Warren County), 3.62 inches in Sussex Borough (Sussex County), 3.60 inches in Andover (Sussex County) and Stewartsville (Warren County), 2.68 inches in Newton (Sussex County), 2.57 inches in Long Valley (Morris County) and 2.20 inches in Chatham (Morris County)
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:28 UTC.
Event by event
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Warren
- When
- December 17, 8:30 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Warren County, Countywide
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.857, -74.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Morris
- When
- December 17, 10:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Morris County, Countywide
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.862, -74.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- 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: 5168481, 5168482, 5168480.