New Jersey, 2002

Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 24, 2002

August 24, 2002 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm knocked down tree limbs and wires in Maple Shade. About 4,000 Public Service Electric and Gas customers lost power in southern New Jersey because of the severe thunderstorms this evening.

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

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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 severe thunderstorm knocked down tree limbs and wires in Maple Shade. About 4,000 Public Service Electric and Gas customers lost power in southern New Jersey because of the severe thunderstorms this evening.

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 24, 1:35 PM EST, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 24, 1:35 PM EST, 5 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
235 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

SCTD TSTMS DVLPG ALONG THE COLD FRONT IN PA. NOT SURE IF THEY WILL HOLD
TOGETHER AS THEY HEAD E DUE TO THE CLOUDS AND OCEAN FLOW HELPING KEEP
THE BLYR STABLE. HOWEVER...IF THE CLOUDS AND BREAK FOR AN HOUR OR TWO
ALLOWING SUNSHINE...THEN THE TSTMS WOULD CONT TO DVLP AND PSBLY INCR IN
INTENSITY TOO. CURRENTLY, I THINK ACTIVITY SHOULD REMAIN SCTD. ALSO,
THE ONLY TSTMS THAT WOULD HAVE STRONG WINDS IN THE FCST AREA WILL
PROBABLY DVLP UPSTREAM.

BY MIDNIGHT...ALL PCPN SHOULD BE GONE, WITH CLEARING BY MRNG. SOME
CU/STRATOCU DVLPS FROM HEATING SUN...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES
THROUGH SUN NIGHT. MON...ALL MODELS INDICATE THE JET STREAM LIFTING N
AND THE FCST AREA UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A CLOSED UPPER LOW TO THE W.
THIS SHOULD ALLOW MOISTURE AND THEREBY CLOUDS TO INCREASE DURING
MONDAY...ESPECIALLY SOUTH. FOR NOW...I WILL GO FOR INCR CLDS S BUT KEEP
MOSTLY SUNNY NORTH.

TEMPS...MET GUIDANCE GENLY LOOKS GOOD.

SOME PATCHY FOG COULD DVLP TNGT SINCE IT RAINED TODAY AND WITH THE
CLEARING SKIES TEMPS SHOULD DROP TO THE DEWPTS. HOWEVER...WITH THE CAA,
THERE MAY BE ENOUGH LINGERING GRADIENT TO PREVENT ITS FORMATION, SO I
WILL LEAVE IT OUT FOR NOW.

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

RNS

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Burlington

When
August 24, 6:40 PM EST
Where
Burlington County, Maple Shade
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.950, -75.000

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

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, August 2002

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: 5318081.