Thunderstorm Wind, Somerset
- When
- July 22, 3:10 PM EST to 3:20 PM EST
- Where
- Somerset County, Woods Tavern
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.500, -74.650
Damaging Wind in New Jersey, July 22, 2003
A severe thunderstorm pulled down large limbs and power lines in eastern Hillsborough and Franklin Townships and South Bound Brook Borough. A large 60 foot by 140 foot tent was destroyed in Hillsborough Township.
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
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 pulled down large limbs and power lines in eastern Hillsborough and Franklin Townships and South Bound Brook Borough. A large 60 foot by 140 foot tent was destroyed in Hillsborough Township. The tent was blown down wind around 100 feet. In nearby South Bound Brook Borough, a downed tree sightly damaged one home. Public Service Electric and Gas reported about 18,000 of its customers lost power because of the severe storms in central New Jersey. Hardest hit in Somerset County were Hillsborough and Franklin Townships and South Bound Brook Borough.
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 22, 2:45 PM EST, 25 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 2:45 PM EST, 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
345 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003
WONT TAKE MUCH TIME AS WX IS RATHER ACTIVE ATTM.
GOING WITH CATEGORICAL POPS TNGT...WITH SVR STMS ARND INTO THE EVE
AND BTR CHC FOR HVY RAIN OVNGT. LKLY POPS WED...WITH CHC WED NGT
INTO THU NGT BFR IT LOOKS LIKE SYS FINALLY PUSHES OFF TO THE E.
THEN DRY FOR A FEW DAYS BFR MORE CHC SUN AND MON.
NO CHGS ON MARINE...SML CRAFT ADVY UP FOR ALL WTRS.
ZONES SHOULD FLY AT 4 PM.
.PHI...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU TNGT PA54-55,60-62,67-69,
NJ1,7-10,12,15
SML CRAFT ADVY CST AND DE BAY.
KRAUSHazardous weather outlook, Jul 22, 5:05 AM EST, 10 hours 5 minutes before
DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-221200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 605 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 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 THERE IS A RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THESE STORMS COULD ALSO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY ALONG THE NEW JERSEY AND DELAWARE COASTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING EXTENDS THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY...AND POSSIBLY ALSO ON WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY. AMC
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 22, 9:57 AM EST, 5 hours 13 minutes before
DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-222045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT -POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 1057 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT OVER PENNSYLVANIA...AND HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ATLANTIC COAST IS CAUSING A SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW OF UNSTABLE TROPICAL AIR. WITH SUFFICIENT AFTERNOON HEATING...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST INTO THIS EVENING AND SOME MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY FREQUENT LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND DAMAGING WINDS. VERY HEAVY RAIN FELL MONDAY EVENING OVER PARTS OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND NORTHERN NEW JERSEY...AS A RESULT A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR AREAS WEST AND NORTH OF PHILADELPHIA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IN THE EVENT A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR PARTICULAR COUNTY...AND NEVER DRIVE THROUGH FLOOD WATERS. THE STORMS LAST EVENING WERE ACCOMPANIED BY NUMEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES AND THERE MAY BE POWER OUTAGES FROM TODAYS STORM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/PHI IN SMALL LETTERS. EBERWINE/SHERWOOD
Local storm report, Jul 22, 12:54 PM EST, 2 hours 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
154 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0143 PM HILLSBOROUGH NJ HEAVY RAIN
07/22/03 SOMERSET .75 INCH RAIN IN 8
MINUTESThe radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:08 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, July 22, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Georgia, July 22, 2003
- Wildfire in Idaho, July 22, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Virginia, July 22, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Hail in New York, July 22, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in New York, July 22, 2003
- Flash Flood in New York, July 22, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 22 to 23, 2003
- Flash Flood in New York, July 22, 2003
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, July 22, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, July 22 to 23, 2003
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, July 22, 2003
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, July 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: 5333429.