Wildfire in New Jersey, May 15, 2001

Name: Wildfire in New Jersey, May 15, 2001
Start: 2001-05-15T16:45
End: 2001-05-15T23:00
Location: New Jersey

May 15, 2001 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A wildfire burned out of control behind the PAC Produce Warehouse in Florence Township during the evening of the 15th. Before it was placed under control, about 100 acres were burned.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 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 wildfire burned out of control behind the PAC Produce Warehouse in Florence Township during the evening of the 15th. Before it was placed under control, about 100 acres were burned. No serious property damage or injuries 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 May 15, 2:40 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 15, 2:40 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
340 PM EDT TUE MAY 15 2001

ETA HAS BEEN ON TRACK OR A LTL SLOW WITH THE MID LVL CLOUDS...ASSOCD
WITH THE CUTOFF LOW...THAT ARE BACKING INTO THE NYC AREA. THESE ARE
PROGGED TO EVENTUALLY MOVE INTO MOST OF OUR FA TONIGHT...THINKING
SCT TO BKN RATHER THAN OVC. THE STACKED LOW AND ITS CLOUDS WILL MOVE
ONLY SLOWLY AWAY FROM FA THROUGH THU...MEANWHILE HIGH PRES IS FCST
TO STRENGTHEN ALONG THE E COAST AND CAUSE A MARINE FLOW TO DEVELOP
STARTING TMRW. THIS NOT AT ALL PROGRESSIVE SETUP WILL CAUSE THE WARM
FRONT TO OUR W TO MAKE TORTUROUSLY SLOW PROGRESS E...SO THE NEXT SET
OF CONVECTION FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG IT AND DIVE SE HAS ONLY A
MARGINAL CHANCE OF CLIPPING OUR FAR SWRN ZONES LATE WED NIGHT INTO
THU. IT WOULD BE TRACKING OVER STABLE AIR.

SO...AFTER COORD WITH BORDERING OFFICES WE HAVE PUT A 30 SHRA POP
FOR OUR PORTION OF THE DELMARVA EXCEPT NRN DE...AND WE HAVE KEPT IT
OUT OF THE DE BAY PORTION OF THE CWF. SOME MID AND HIGH CLOUDS INTO
FA TONIGHT...PERHAPS LINGERING INTO TOMORROW WITH A FEW MORE CU AS
DEWPOINTS BEGIN TO RISE. THEN THE MARINE FLOW MAY WELL CAUSE LOW
CLOUDS TO DEVELOP AROUND THE FA WED NIGHT. IF MID AND HIGH CLOUDS
WITH THE WARM FRONT DONT MAKE IT INTO THE COASTAL PLAIN AND ANY
SIGNIFICANT CLOUDS FROM THE CUTOFF HAVE MOVED OUT...THEN FOG IS A
POSSIBILITY. WILL NOT MENTION THIS AT THIS TIME DUE TO LACK OF
CONFIDENCE. THU LOOKS LIKE MID AND HIGH CLOUDS ABOVE A MARINE
LAYER...AND THE AFOREMENTIONED POP IN THE SW.

TONIGHT ON TEMPS...MIGHT BE SOME RADIATING AS WINDS DIMINISH BEFORE
SOME CLOUDS DROP INTO THE FA. EVEN THOUGH DONT EXPECT A 4SOLID
DECK...DIDNT DEVIATE MUCH FROM GUIDANCE ON THE LOW SIDE. AFTER
THAT...TRIED TO STAY ON THE OCEAN TEMPERATURE SIDE OF GUIDANCE
THROUGH THU.

.PHI...NONE.

MPD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Burlington

When: May 15, 4:45 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Burlington County, Florence
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

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, May 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: 5244706.