New Jersey, 2001

Flooding and Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 14, 2001

August 14, 2001 · NWS OKX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

On Tuesday, August 14th, a strong upper atmospheric disturbance approached northern New Jersey from the northwest during the evening hours. As this disturbance approached, locally strong thunderstorms developed across portions of northern New Jersey during the early evening.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

On Tuesday, August 14th, a strong upper atmospheric disturbance approached northern New Jersey from the northwest during the evening hours. As this disturbance approached, locally strong thunderstorms developed across portions of northern New Jersey during the early evening. Thunderstorms produced very heavy downpours, which led to numerous flooded roadways and highways, and subsequent road and highway closures. This flooding also trapped several people in vehicles. In Bergen County, numerous cars were stuck on Route 46 in the vicinity of Elmwood Park due to flooding. Also, in Saddle Brook, a six block area was impassable due to flooding. In Hudson County, a woman was trapped in her vehicle in Jersey City, where a road collapse also occurred.Strong wind gusts also accompanied these thunderstorms. In Bergen County, strong winds led to a downed tree which fell onto a vehicle in Lyndhurst. No injuries were reported, however.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 14, 1:40 PM EST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 14, 1:40 PM EST, 4 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
240 PM EDT TUE AUG 14 2001

MODELS HANDLG DYNAMICS OF OFSHR SYS AND GRTLKS SYS DIFFERENTLY.
FORTUNATELY FA IS SANDWICHED BTWN...SO DIFFERENCES FAIRLY
TRANSPARENT FOR THE LCL AREA.

BASICALLY LOOKG FOR SFC RDGG TO BLD ACRS RGN NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
ONSHR WND FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS NEAR SEASONAL LVLS. GUID TEMPS ALL IN
THE BALLPARK ALTHO FANS APPEAR A TAD TO COOL DURG THE OVRNGT PDS.

PCPN...RADAR INDICATG SOME ISOLD CONVECTION JUST NW OF ZONES ATTM SO
SLGT CHC STILL LOOKG REASONABLE FOR RMNDR OF DAY. BLV SUNSET WILL
KILL OFF THE THREAT WITH NEXT CHC NOT WORKING INTO FA UNTIL LT THU
NGT OR FRI.

MARINE...WL HEADLINE CSTL MARINE ZONES ONLY THAT A SCA MAY BE NEEDED
WED. BEST CHC FOR THIS IS IF AVN PROVES TO BE THE MORE ACCURATE. AVN
HAS BEEN CONSISTENT WITH THIS SYS FROM RUN TO RUN AND ALTHO IT IS MY
MODEL OF CHOICE...WILL STILL TEMPER THE WINDS DOWNWARD JUST A BIT.

.OKX...
CT...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
NY...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Bergen

When
August 14, 5:45 PM EST
Where
Bergen County, Countywide
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.960, -74.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Passaic

When
August 14, 6:25 PM EST
Where
Passaic County, Paterson
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.034, -74.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hudson

When
August 14, 6:45 PM EST
Where
Hudson County, Secaucus
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.731, -74.076 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Bergen

When
August 14, 6:50 PM EST
Where
Bergen County, Lyndhurst
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.960, -74.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
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

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, August 2001

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: 5265157, 5265158, 5265159, 5265160.