New Jersey, 2001

Flash Flooding in New Jersey, August 27, 2001

August 27, 2001 · NWS PHI · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

In addition to the severe weather, the thunderstorms produced torrential downpours and caused considerable urban and poor drainage flooding as well as flooding of area streams. Doppler Radar storm total estimates ranged from 3 to 6 inches from Toms River northeast through Point Pleasant and also in extreme southeast Monmouth County in Brielle, Manasquan and Sea Girt Boroughs.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • 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
2

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.

In addition to the severe weather, the thunderstorms produced torrential downpours and caused considerable urban and poor drainage flooding as well as flooding of area streams. Doppler Radar storm total estimates ranged from 3 to 6 inches from Toms River northeast through Point Pleasant and also in extreme southeast Monmouth County in Brielle, Manasquan and Sea Girt Boroughs. New Jersey State Routes 71 and 35 were closed in Monmouth County. In Ocean County, the worst flooding was reported from Point Pleasant to Bay Head and also in Toms River. New Jersey State Route 35 was also closed in Point Pleasant. New Jersey State Route 37 in Toms River had windshield deep flooding. Three foot deep "lakes" formed in neighborhoods in Dover and Brick Townships. Sewers were overflowing. Basement flooding was also reported in the county. No serious injuries though were reported.

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 Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 27, 2:17 PM EST, 1 hour 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 27, 2:17 PM EST, 1 hour 43 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
317 PM EDT MON AUG 27 2001

SHWRS/TSTMS POPPING UP ALNG FNTL BNDRY MOVG THRU ERN PA. CHC FOR
PRECIP TO LINGER THRU EVE HRS THEN SHUD DIE DOWN WITH SUNSET.  FNT
WL MOV JUST S OF AREA OR NR SRN AREAS OF FA AND PROBABLY COME TO A
STOP...WAITING ON NXT S/W AND CD FNT TO COME ACRS AREA LT TUE AND
ERLY TUE NGT.  FNT APPRS TO BE JUST A WEE BIT SLOWER...SO CLDS MAY
NOT REALLY CLR OUT OF XTRM SRN FA UNTIL ERLY WED...BUT THEN DRIER
AIR MOVS IN FOR ENTIRE WED ON WED AND THU. NXT FEATURE TO AFFECT
AREA WITH CHC PRECIP THU NGT AND FRI...THEN LOOKS LIKE DRY BUT
SOMEWHAT COOL WX FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

TRANQUIL ON THE MARINE.

FCSTID = 14
MPO   57  76  53  76 /  10  30  10   0
ABE   61  85  60  80 /  30  30  10   0
RDG   63  86  61  82 /  20  30  10   0
PHL   66  87  66  83 /  30  30  30  10
12N   59  80  55  72 /  30  30  10   0
SMQ   65  87  64  83 /  30  30  10  10
TTN   66  87  66  83 /  30  30  30  10
MIV   67  87  65  83 /  30  30  30  10
ACY   67  87  66  83 /  30  30  30  10
ILG   66  87  66  83 /  30  30  30  10
DOV   69  87  66  83 /  30  30  30  10
GED   69  87  66  83 /  30  30  30  10
ESN   69  87  66  83 /  30  30  30  10

.PHI...
DE...NONE.
MD...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
PA...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

JWH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Monmouth

When
August 27, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Monmouth County, Southeast Portion
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Ocean

When
August 27, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Ocean County, Northeast Portion
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.866, -74.250 (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

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: 5268803, 5268804.