New Jersey, 2002

Damaging Wind in New Jersey, July 20, 2002

July 20, 2002 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

In a delayed reaction, a nearly two century old silver maple tree came down in pieces over the weekend of July 20th and 21st in a driveway of a Princeton Borough home. Officials believed the winds and rain on the 19th weakened the tree.

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.

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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
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.

In a delayed reaction, a nearly two century old silver maple tree came down in pieces over the weekend of July 20th and 21st in a driveway of a Princeton Borough home. Officials believed the winds and rain on the 19th weakened the tree.

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 Jul 20, 12:29 AM EST, 8 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 12:29 AM EST, 8 hours 31 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
129 AM EDT SAT JUL 20 2002

SATL CONTINUES TO SHOW CLOUD PATCHES MOVING THROUGH THE AREA AND
MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE THAT FROM S OF ABE...SC WILL AGAIN DVLP DUE
TO HEATING TODAY. THEREFORE FCST WILL BE PTLY SUNNY SOUTH BUT MOSTLY
SUNNY NORTH. LOTS OF LINGERING LOW LVL MOISTURE SHOULD FORM PATCHY
FOG THIS MRNG TOO. ALTHOUGH THE DAY STARTS OUT HUMID WITH DEWPTS
HIGH...SUNSHINE AND MIXING OF THE BLYR SHOULD LOWER THE DEWPTS BACK
TO THE 60S ALL AREAS. TEMPS SHOULD STAY IN THE 80S WITH A MARITIME
FLOW DVLPG E AND SOUTH. NRN ZONES GET ENOUGH COOLER AIR FROM THE
NORTH TO KEEP TEMPS DOWN.

TNGT THROUGH TUESDAY...RIDGING PREVAILS. THE UPPER AIR ALSO BUILDS A
RIDGE ALFT OVER THE AREA. THE MARITIME FLOW BECOMING MORE S ON
SUNDAY ALLOWING THE HUMIDITY TO ONCE AGAIN INCREASE. THEN WE LOSE
THE OCEAN FETCH AND THE HOTTER AIR RETURNS MONDAY AND SHOULD
CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY.

THE RIDGING ALFT SHOULD KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE STABLE ENOUGH TO PREVENT
PCPN THROUGH MONDAY AS DYNAMICS ARE LACKING. THEN TUE...A FRONTAL
MOVES TO THE GREAT LAKES AS CYCLONIC FLOW REPLACES THE RIDGE ALFT.
THIS CONTINUES THROUGH WED WITH A COLD FRONT SAGGING SOUTH AND EAST
ACROSS THE FCST AREA INCREASING THE THREAT OF SHWRS AND TSTMS WED
AND THU.

MPO   79  59  82  66 /   0   0   0  10
ABE   85  64  87  68 /   0   0   0  10
RDG   85  65  88  69 /   0   0   0  10
PHL   86  70  88  72 /   0   0   0  10
12N   84  60  85  66 /   0   0   0  10
SMQ   85  63  87  67 /   0   0   0  10
TTN   84  69  87  70 /   0   0   0  10
MIV   84  67  85  67 /   0   0   0  10
ACY   81  71  80  74 /   0   0   0  10
ILG   86  69  88  73 /   0   0   0  10
DOV   86  70  89  71 /   0   0   0  10
GED   87  69  88  71 /   0   0   0  10
ESN   87  71  84  74 /   0   0   0  10

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

RNS

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When
July 20, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Mercer County, Princeton
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.283, -74.702 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, July 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: 5308673.