Wildfire in New Jersey, March 10, 2002

Name: Wildfire in New Jersey, March 10, 2002
Start: 2002-03-10T14:15
End: 2002-03-10T17:15
Location: New Jersey

March 10, 2002 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Two separate marsh fires occurred in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township (Ocean County). Strong gusty northwest winds helped spread the fires quickly.

Where it happened

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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.

Two separate marsh fires occurred in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township (Ocean County). Strong gusty northwest winds helped spread the fires quickly. Both occurred during the afternoon and within a mile of each other. The first fire occurred on Bay Boulevard as a brush fire, but strong winds helped spread it. The fire damaged the deck and parts of the exterior of one house on Bay Boulevard and forced the evacuation of the Windows on the Bay Restaurant. The second fire occurred on Sloop Creek. A roadway was closed, but no damage occurred.

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 Mar 10, 10:49 AM EST, 3 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 10, 10:49 AM EST, 3 hours 26 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1049 AM EST SUN MAR 10 2002

UPDATE THIS AM TO PUT IN A FEW FLURRIES IN THE FAR NWRN ZONES...AND
A BIT MORE IN THE WAY OF CLOUDS...ESP NWRN HALF FA. MODEL SOUNDINGS
SUGGEST THE DRY ADIABATIC LAPSE RATE EXTENDS UPWARD DURING THE
COURSE OF THE DAY...TO JUST ABOVE H8. ENOUGH MOISTURE AROUND THANKS
TO LAST NIGHT TO POP SOME CU...AS IS EVIDENT ON SAT PIX. THERE IS
ALSO AN UPPER IMPULSE AROUND...ALTHOUGH VORT IS CHANNELED.

GIVEN H8 TEMPS AS ANALYZED AND PROGGED...WILL MODIFY FCST TEMPS DOWN
A LTL AS PRESENT FCST MAXES MAY WELL HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED.

FINALLY...QUITE A FEW METARS SHOW PK WINDS BETWEEN 900 AM AND
1000 AM BETWEEN 30 AND 40 KTS. AS DRY ADIABATIC CLIMBS...AND AS H8
WINDS REMAIN BTWN 40 AND 45 KTS...IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT WE WILL
SEE THAT MIX DOWN TO SFC. THEREFORE WILL KEEP THE WIND ADVISORY AND
GALE WARNINGS GOING. PREV DISCUSSION IS BELOW.

.PHI...
DE...WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTN ZONES DEZ001>003.
MD...WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTN ZONES MDZ008-012-015-019-020.
NJ...WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTN ZONES NJZ001-007>010-012-013-
     015>023.
PA...WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTN ZONES PAZ054-055-060>062-067>071.

MARINE...GALE WARNING NJZ014-024>026-DEZ004-ANZ450>455-430-431.

MPD

*********************************************************************

FNT JST ABT OFFSHORE NOW. ALL PRECIP NOW OFFSHORE. IN WAKE OF FNT
AND BLDNG HIGH PRES STG W-NW WNDS WL BE ON TAP AND WL GO WITH WND
ADVSRY ACRS ENTIRE FCST AREA. WNDS BEGIN TO DIE OFF LT TDA AND TNGT
AND GNRLY DRY AND TRANQUIL WX ON TAP FOR MON. NXT SYS DUE TUE.

ON MARINE...WL CONT GLW WRNG ON CST AND BAY AND HAVE ISSUED SPS/MWS
ABT PSBL BLOW OUT TIDES AROUND NEXT 2 LOW TIDES.

JWH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 10, 11:30 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1130 AM EST SUN MAR 10 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1200 AM    READING                   PA   WIND DAMAGE
03/10/02   BERKS                          SCATTERED TREES DOWN
                                          JUST WEST OF READING

1210 AM    TOBYHANNA                 PA   WIND DAMAGE
03/10/02   MONROE                         TREE BRANCHES DOWN
                                          A FEW TREES DOWN
                                          ELSEWHERE COUNTYWIDE

1210 AM    ALBRIGHTSVILLE            PA   53 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
03/10/02   CARBON

1220 AM    SLATINGTON                PA   WIND DAMAGE
03/10/02   LEHIGH                         A COUPLE OF TREES DOWN
                                          MOSTLY HOUSE ALARMS
                                          GOING OFF

1235 AM    SNYDERSVILLE              PA   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
03/10/02   MONROE

1245 AM    WILLIAMS TWP              PA   WIND DAMAGE
03/10/02   NORTHAMPTON                    NUMEROUS LIMBS AND
                                          A FEW TREES DOWN.
                                          OBSTACLE COURSE TO
                                          GET TO WORK

0105 AM    LAYTON                    NJ   WIND DAMAGE
03/10/02   SUSSEX                         TREES DOWN WESTERN
                                          PORTION OF COUNTY

0100 AM    COUNTYWIDE                NJ   WIND DAMAGE
03/10/02   WARREN                         EOC REPORTED TREES DOWN
                                          AND STRUCTURAL ROOF DAMAGE

0135 AM    DOVER                     NJ   WIND DAMAGE
03/10/02   MORRIS                         LARGE LIMBS DOWN
                                          POWER OUT IN TOWN

0155 AM    JUNIATA PARK              PA   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
03/10/02   PHILADELPHIA

0200 AM    NEW HOPE                  PA   WIND DAMAGE
03/10/02   BUCKS                          SCATTERED LIMBS DOWN
                                          IN COUNTY

RK/TG

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, Ocean

When: March 10, 2:15 PM EST to 5:15 PM EST
Where: Ocean County, Bayville
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.866, -74.250 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New Jersey, March 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: 5286467.