Flood, Morris
- When
- December 11, 1:55 PM EST to December 16, 7:15 AM EST
- Where
- Morris forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 40.862, -74.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in New Jersey, December 11 to 16, 2003
m. and Noon EST on the 11th and runoff from the melting snow produced widespread poor drainage flooding in the morning and river flooding from the afternoon of the 11th through the 16th in Morris County.
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
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.
The combination of heavy rain between 6 a.m. and Noon EST on the 11th and runoff from the melting snow produced widespread poor drainage flooding in the morning and river flooding from the afternoon of the 11th through the 16th in Morris County. Storm totals averaged around two inches with the highest amounts in the western part of the county.Flooding along the Pompton River forced dozens of families along the river to leave their homes. In Dover Township, flooding along the Rockaway River forced the closure of four roads in the lower Blackwell Street area. Roads were also closed in Denville Township (Rockaway River) and Lincoln Park Borough (Pompton River). The Rockaway River below the Boonton Reservoir was above its 5 foot flood stage from 630 p.m. EST on the 11th through 420 p.m. EST on the 13th. It crested at 6.26 feet at 6 a.m. EST on the 12th. The Pequannock River at the Macopin Intake Dam was above its 5.5 foot flood stage from 155 p.m. EST on the 11th through 931 p.m. EST on the 12th. It crested at 1215 a.m. EST on the 12th. The Pompton River at Pompton Plains was above its 16 foot flood stage from 1133 p.m. EST on the 11th through 856 p.m. EST on the 12th. It crested at 16.78 feet at 930 a.m. EST on the 12th. Along the main stem of the Passaic River, at Pine Brook, the river was above its 19 foot flood stage from 930 p.m. EST on the 12th through 1045 p.m. EST on the 15th. It crested at 19.25 feet at 115 p.m. EST on the 13th. Farther downstream at Two Bridges, the Passaic River was above its 9 foot flood stage from 1130 a.m. EST on the 12th through 715 a.m. EST on the 16th. It crested at 10.26 feet at 1145 a.m. EST on the 13th. Storm totals included 2.38 inches in Long Valley, 2.24 inches in Marcella, 1.80 inches in Boonton,1.69 inches in Chatham and 1.62 inches in Morristown. The heavy rain was caused by an intense low pressure system at both the surface and aloft that developed over the Southern Plains on the 9th. The primary low pressure system moved toward the Great Lakes on the morning of the 10th while a secondary low pressure system was forming near the upper air support over the Tennessee Valley. This secondary low pressure system continued to intensify and was located over North Carolina the evening of the 10th, near Philadelphia around 7 a.m. EST on the 11th and in western Connecticut early in the evening on the 11th. This secondary low pressure system helped wring the moisture in the atmosphere from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean onto the region.
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 Dec 11, 10:05 AM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 11, 10:05 AM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 1005 AM EST THU DEC 11 2003 DISC: WILL KEEP THE FLOOD WATCH UP THRU EARLY AFTERNOON WHERE ANOTHER 1-2 HRS OF HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED. SEVERAL FLOOD WARNINGS IN EFFECT ACROSS THE SRN ZONES. OTHERWISE...UPDATED ZONES TI REMOVE RAIN FROM MOST AREAS EXCEPT THE NRN AREA. REMAINDER OF FCST ON SCHED. SEE YA EBERWINE **** NEGATIVELY TILTED SYS CONTINUES TO SHARPEN UP. AT 09Z RAPIDLY DEEPENING LOW PRES LOCATED BTWN BWI AND IAD. NW TO SE ORIENTED COLD FNT CONT MVG TWD NW AND IS APPROACHING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY. CONCENTRATED AREA OF RA/+RA IN ADVANCE OF FNT ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY WINDS ESP NEAR COASTAL REGIONS...WITH LWR MD ESHORE REGION HITTING 38 MPH. FNT TO MOVE THRU FA +/- 12Z. RAIN COMBINED WITH SNOW MELT HAVE ALREADY NECESSITATED FLW BEING ISSUED N DE...XTRM NE MD AND SE PA. MORE WARNINGS PSBL AS HEAVIEST RAIN OF THIS EVENT MOVES INTO FA FM THE S. WILL KEEP FFA IN EFFECT THRU THE MRNG. WILL DROP DENSE FOG ADV. DENSE FOG PRIMARILY IN ELEVATED...IE IN CLOUDS...REGIONS. NOT MUCH OR NO SNOW LEFT IN FA TO ADD MOISTURE WHEN WINDS LIGHTEN UP A BIT TWRD FROPA. MARINE FCSTR WILL KEEP GALE WRNG HOISTED FOR OCEAN AND BAY. .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...FLOOD WATCH THIS MRNG ZONES 54/55/60>62/67>71. NJ...FLOOD WATCH THIS MRNG ZONES 1/7>10/12/13/15>19. DE...FLOOD WATCH THIS MRNG ZONE 1. MD...FLOOD WATCH THIS MRNG ZONE 8. MARINE/OCEAN...GALES SANDY HOOK NJ TO FENWICK IS DE. MARINE/DEL BAY...GALES. WOODWORTH
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 11, 5:21 AM EST, 8 hours 34 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 521 AM EST THU DEC 11 2003 DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-111019- ATLANTIC NJ-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY NJ-BERKS PA-BUCKS PA-CAMDEN NJ- CAPE MAY NJ-CARBON PA-CAROLINE MD-CECIL MD-CHESTER PA- COASTAL ATLANTIC NJ-COASTAL OCEAN NJ-CUMBERLAND NJ-DELAWARE PA- DELAWARE BEACHES DE-EASTERN MONMOUTH NJ-GLOUCESTER NJ-HUNTERDON NJ- INLAND SUSSEX DE-KENT MD-KENT DE-LEHIGH PA-MERCER NJ-MIDDLESEX NJ- MONROE PA-MONTGOMERY PA-MORRIS NJ-NEW CASTLE DE-NORTHAMPTON PA- NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON NJ-OCEAN NJ-PHILADELPHIA PA-QUEEN ANNES MD- SALEM NJ-SOMERSET NJ-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON NJ-SUSSEX NJ-TALBOT MD- WARREN NJ-WESTERN MONMOUTH NJ- 521 AM EST THU DEC 11 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...DELAWARE...THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE...AND NEW JERSEY EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES. .DAY ONE...TODAY A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THIS MORNING FOR PARTS OF THE REGION...MAINLY AROUND THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA METROPOLITAN AREA AND THE RARITAN BASIN. PLEASE REFER TO WGUS61 FLOOD WATCH STATEMENT FOR FURTHER DETAILS. A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT ALONG THE COAST AND THE DELAWARE BAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FOR THURSDAY THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY...THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION NOT REQUESTED. STORM TOTAL AND ANY FLOODING REPORTS GREATLY APPRECIATED. CORRECTED TO ADD DELAWARE BAY TO GALE WARNING AREA. WOODWORTH
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Dec 11, 12:00 PM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 12 PM EST THU DEC 11 2003 NJZ012>014-020-022>027-111700- ATLANTIC NJ-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY NJ-CAPE MAY NJ- COASTAL ATLANTIC NJ-COASTAL OCEAN NJ-EASTERN MONMOUTH NJ- MIDDLESEX NJ-OCEAN NJ-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON NJ-WESTERN MONMOUTH NJ- 620 AM EST THU DEC 11 2003 ...TIDAL FLOODING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON... THE STRONG ONSHORE FLOW IS SHIFTING AROUND THE WEST AND WILL BE INCREASING TO 30 TO 40 MPH AT TIMES. HIGH TIDE OCCURRED THIS MORNING BETWEEN 8 AND 9 AM ALONG THE OCEAN FRONT AND BETWEEN 1030 AND 1130 AM IN THE BACK BAYS. RESIDENTS ON THE BAY SIDE OF THE BARRIER ISLANDS ARE LIKELY TO SEE SOME HEAVY WAVE ACTION AND OVERWASH ONCE THE WINDS PICK UP THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THE ROADWAYS ADJACENT TO THE BACK BAYS WILL HAVE STREET FLOODING FOR A COUPLE MORE HOURS...BUT THE WORST IS OVER. EBERWINE
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike and High Surf in California, December 11 to 12, 2003
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, December 11, 2003
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, December 11, 2003
- Strong Wind in New Jersey, December 11, 2003
- Flooding in Maryland, December 11 to 13, 2003
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, December 11, 2003
- Winter Weather in New York, December 11, 2003
- Storm Surge in New Jersey, December 11, 2003
- Flooding in New York, December 11 to 12, 2003
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 11, 2003
- Heavy Snow in California, December 11, 2003
- Flooding in West Virginia, December 11 to 12, 2003
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, December 2003
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: 5328267.