Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex
- When
- October 27, 3:44 PM EST to 4:15 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, Countywide
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.417, -74.433
Damaging Wind in New Jersey, October 27, 2003
A line of severe thunderstorms caused wind damage in several municipalities across Middlesex County in addition to the brief tornado that touched down in southern Edison Township. In North Brunswick, New Jersey State Route 27 was closed because of a downed tree.
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 line of severe thunderstorms caused wind damage in several municipalities across Middlesex County in addition to the brief tornado that touched down in southern Edison Township. In North Brunswick, New Jersey State Route 27 was closed because of a downed tree. In New Brunswick, a car was crushed by a downed tree on New Jersey State Route 18. The occupants were not harmed. The roadway was reduced for one land for 90 minutes and traffic backed to the New Jersey Turnpike. Road closures also occurred because of downed wires in South Amboy and Monroe Townships. In Edison Township, several trees were knocked down. Two metal storage trailers were hoisted at the James Madison Intermediate School. One landed in the woods, the other landed and damaged a basketball court. The wind also broke several windows at the school. In Woodbridge Township, large trees came down on two blocks and damaged a few homes and vehicles. About 3,250 homes and businesses lost power in the county with the greatest concentration in Edison and South Plainfield Townships.
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 Oct 27, 3:20 PM EST, 24 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 27, 3:20 PM EST, 24 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
320 PM EST MON OCT 27 2003
WITH ONGING WX...WL BE BRIEF.
KEEPING WATCH UP WHERE IT WAS INTO THIS EVE...AS WELL AS CATEGORICAL
POPS ALL ZONES. ENDING RAIN BY MIDN FM THE W. MENTIONING TSTM FM PHL
S AND E...WITH PSBLY DAMAGING WNDS.
WITH NXT SYS TUE EVE...PROGS LOOKING MORE VIGOROUS...WITH WAVE
MOVING NE ALG THE CST FM TDAS FNT. GOING LKLY POPS TUE NGT...MNLY
AFT MIDN...AND HI CHC WED MRNG. THEN WL KEEP THINGS DRY TIL MON...
ALTHOUGH NOT COMPLETELY CONFIDENT WITH LOW LVL FLOW COMING IN OFF
THE OCEAN.
MARINE FCSTR KEEPING SML CRAFT UP CST AND LWR DE BAY.
ZONES SHOULD FLY ABT 330 PM.
.PHI...FLOOD WATCH INTO THIS EVE DE1, ALL PA ZONES, NJ1,7,15
SML CRAFT ADVY CST AND LWR BAY.
KRAUSIn the hours before
Special weather statement, Oct 27, 12:57 PM EST, 2 hours 47 minutes before
DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-280000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 1257 PM EST MON OCT 27 2003 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS PLACED SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...MUCH OF NEW JERSEY EXCEPT THE NORTHWESTERN PORTION...ALL OF DELAWARE...AND ALL OF THE MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE IN AN AREA OF A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MAJOR THREAT. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS ALOFT...RELATIVELY WARM AND MOIST AIR NEAR THE SURFACE...AND AN ACTIVE FRONTAL SYSTEM COULD COMBINE TO GENERATE SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON IN THE SLIGHT RISK AREA. REMEMBER THAT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN ON RARE OCCASION SPAWN A TORNADO. FOR THE SOUTHERN POCONOS...THE LEHIGH VALLEY AND BERKS COUNTY...AS WELL AS NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY...THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LOWER. A FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA... PARTS OF NORTHWESTERN AND WESTERN NEW JERSEY...NORTHERN DELAWARE... AND EXTREME NORTHEASTERN MARYLAND.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:44 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
- Tornado in New Jersey, October 27, 2003
- High Wind in Connecticut, October 27, 2003
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, October 27, 2003
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, October 27, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, October 27 to 28, 2003
- Flooding in New Hampshire, October 27 to 30, 2003
- High Wind in Montana, October 27, 2003
- Damaging Winds in New York, October 27, 2003
- Damaging Winds in Connecticut, October 27, 2003
- High Wind in Maine, October 27 to 28, 2003
- Flooding in New York, October 27 to 28, 2003
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, October 27, 2003
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, October 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5371883.