Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 4, 2001

Name: Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 4, 2001
Start: 2001-08-04T15:35
End: 2001-08-04T15:35
Location: New Jersey

August 4, 2001 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm knocked over several large limbs and blew over an exhibition tent at the Sussex County Fair in Augusta (Frankford Township). ) when the large tent was blown over.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 6
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

A severe thunderstorm knocked over several large limbs and blew over an exhibition tent at the Sussex County Fair in Augusta (Frankford Township). Two women were seriously injured (One was knocked unconscious; the other suffered a broken arm.) when the large tent was blown over. Several information booths were blown away. Several other people suffered cuts and abrasions from the flying debris. A large limb landed on and damaged the cab of an unoccupied tractor trailer.

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 4, 1:58 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 4, 1:58 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
258 PM EDT SAT AUG 4 2001

WEAK FNT/TROF LIES ACRS NE PA BACK TO ABT S CNTRL PA.  FNT SHUD CONT
TO SLOWLY MOV TWD THE SE BUT SHUD EVENTUALLY DISSIPATE LT TNGT OR
SUN. MEANWHILE...H5 TROF/UP LOW JUST E OF TIDEWATER VA AREA SHUD MOV
SLOWLY TWD THE NE THRU SUN. FA WL BE ON NRN FLO OF RETREATING TROF
INTO NEW ENGLAND. MSTR SHUD HAVE DRIED UP AND DON'T REALLY EXPECT
ANY PRECIP ON SUN.  WON'T BE SURPRISED IF SOME CNVCTN POPS UP IN SRN
AREAS...BUT WL LEAVE OUT FOR NOW.  BY LATER SUN...H5 RDG FROM W
BEGINS TO BLD INTO AREA AND SOME ABV NRM TEMPS AND HUMIDITY XPCTD
FOR NXT WEEK.  ALL QUIET ON THE MARINE.

FCSTID = 14
MPO   63  83  66  86 /  40  10   0   0
ABE   66  87  68  89 /  40  10   0   0
RDG   66  87  68  89 /  40  10   0   0
PHL   70  89  72  92 /  50  10   0   0
12N   63  85  66  87 /  40  10   0   0
SMQ   68  88  70  90 /  50  10   0   0
TTN   67  87  67  90 /  50  10   0   0
MIV   67  86  69  89 /  50  10   0  10
ACY   67  85  69  80 /  50  10   0  10
ILG   67  87  67  90 /  50  10   0   0
DOV   69  87  71  90 /  50  10  10  10
GED   69  87  71  90 /  50  10  10  10
ESN   6M9  87  71  90 /  50  10  10  10

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

JWH

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sussex

When: August 4, 3:35 PM EST
Where: Sussex County, Augusta
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.133, -74.733

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

Every storm in New Jersey in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5266679.