New Jersey, 2002

Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, May 31, 2002

May 31, 2002 · NWS OKX · 6 events in 2 counties and zones

As a severe thunderstorm moved east, it produced large hail, damaging wind gusts, frequent lightning, and heavy rain. A spotter in Elmwood Park (near Garfield) estimated up to 1 inch diameter hail.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 OKX wrote it up.

As a severe thunderstorm moved east, it produced large hail, damaging wind gusts, frequent lightning, and heavy rain. A spotter in Elmwood Park (near Garfield) estimated up to 1 inch diameter hail. Spotters from Totowa estimated 0.88 inch diameter (nickel size) hail and from Rutherford 0.75 inch diameter (penny size) hail. Trees were downed in Clifton, West Milford, and Ramsey. A tree fell on a car and injured 2 people in West Milford. A tree fell on a car and house in Ramsey. Lightning struck a house on Carrol Place in Teaneck. It ignited a fire that severely damaged the house.

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 New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 31, 2:05 PM EST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 2:05 PM EST, 4 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
305 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002

SCTRD TRW...GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL PSBL THROUGH THIS EVE. COLD FRONT
PASSES TO THE E AFTER MIDNIGHT. HI PRES THEN BUILDS IN RESULTING IN
FAIR WX OVER THE WEEKEND.

MARINE...SCA UP FOR ROUGH SEAS S OF LONG ISL. SEAS EXPECTED TO
BUILD TO AROUND 5 FT THIS EVE.

.OKX...
CT...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
NY...NONE.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVIS FOR ROUGH SEAS...ANZ350-353-355.
NONE.

EKH

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:05 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Passaic

When
May 31, 6:05 PM EST
Where
Passaic County, Totowa
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.900, -74.217

Hail, Bergen

When
May 31, 6:10 PM EST to 6:18 PM EST
Where
Bergen County, Garfield
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.867, -74.117

Thunderstorm Wind, Bergen

When
May 31, 6:10 PM EST
Where
Bergen County, Garfield
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.867, -74.117

Thunderstorm Wind, Passaic

When
May 31, 6:30 PM EST to 6:35 PM EST
Where
Passaic County, Clifton
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.867, -74.150

Hail, Bergen

When
May 31, 6:48 PM EST
Where
Bergen County, Ramsey
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.050, -74.150

Lightning, Bergen

When
May 31, 7:00 PM EST
Where
Bergen County, Teaneck
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.960, -74.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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, May 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: 5296852, 5296853, 5296854, 5296855, 5296856, 5296857.