Heavy Rain, Cape May
- When
- August 2, 7:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cape May County, Cape May
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain in New Jersey, August 2, 2004
Thunderstorms with heavy rain caused poor drainage flooding along the Atlantic coast from Cape May north to Ocean City. The poor drainage flooding was exacerbated as the heavy rain coincided with the high tide.
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.
Thunderstorms with heavy rain caused poor drainage flooding along the Atlantic coast from Cape May north to Ocean City. The poor drainage flooding was exacerbated as the heavy rain coincided with the high tide. Doppler Radar storm total estimates indicated that between 2 and 3 inches of rain fell between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. EDT. In Cape May City, 1.25 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes. Flood sirens blared in Avalon, Stone Harbor and Wildwood. Cars were floating along Park Boulevard in Wildwood Crest. Lawn and sidewalk flooding occurred on 91st Street in Stone Harbor. Storm totals included 2.20 inches in Wildwood and 2.17 inches in North Wildwood.
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 Aug 2, 2:30 AM EST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 2, 2:30 AM EST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
330 AM EDT MON AUG 2 2004
.SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY)..
BOUNDARY THAT GAVE US FLOOD PROBLEMS ON SUNDAY IS JUST TO OUR SOUTH.
WITH PW REMAINING HIGH ESPECIALLY SOUTH WILL KEEP A CHC TRW THROUGH
THE DAY THERE AND SLIGHT CHC NORTH. THE NEXT FRONT DROPS THRU THE
LAKES TUES AND AFTERNOON PRECIP IS AGAIN POSSIBLE WELL IN ADVANCE OF
IT.
&&
.LONG TERM (TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...
FRONT CROSSES THE REGION LATE WED AND EARLY THU...BUT MOISTURE WITH
THIS FRONT IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED. COOLER DRIER AIR WILL WORKS ITS WAY
IN FOR LATE WEEK INTO THE WEEK.
&&
.AVIATION...
CIGS AND VSBYS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO REACT TO THE MAINLY CLEAR SKIES,
VERY DAMP GROUND AND HIGH DWPTS THIS AM. FOG PRODUCT SHOWING SCT
STRATUS AND FOG ARE STARTING TO EXPAND SLOWLY, AND WE STILL EXPECT
IFR CONDITIONS WITH SOME SCT LIFR UNTIL AFTER 13Z. THEN CONDITIONS
IMPROVE MAINLY TO VFR, ALTHOUGH DWPTS ARE SO HIGH THAT THERE MAY BE
CIGS IN THE MVFR CATEGORY AROUND ESP THE SRN PART OF THE AREA FOR A
FAIR AMOUNT OF TODAY.
&&
.MARINE...
WE AGREE WITH AKQ THAT, BASED ON THE TPC FORECAST FOR ALEX AND
PRESENT STATE OF THE SEAS, WE WILL BACK OFF THE SCA FOR SEAS FOR THE
TIME BEING. WE NOW HAVE A HEADLINE ADVERTISING IT BEGINNING MON
NIGHT. OTHERWISE, WE STILL LOOK FOR ALEX TO LIFT OUT TO SEA WELL TO
OUR E ON TUE AND FORECAST A CFP ON WED.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
ALL STREAMS HAVE NOW CRESTED FROM SUNDAYS RAIN. RECORD STAGE
RECORDED ON THE FRANKFORD CREEK IN PHILADELPHIA. DELMARVA NEEDS TO
WATCHED THIS TODAY AS HEAVIEST RAINS WILL FOCUS THERE.
&&
.PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...NONE.
NJ...NONE
MD...NONE.
DE...NONE.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS MAY BE REACHED FOR
ALL ZONES BEGINNING LATE MONDAY NIGHT.
&&
SHORT TERM/LONG TERM...ZEV
AVIATION/MARINE...NYY6638
HYDROLOGY...WNHazardous weather outlook, Aug 2, 4:50 AM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 550 AM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-030835- 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- 437 AM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 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 MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE BEACHES FROM AROUND MANASQUAN NJ TO FENWICK ISLAND DE TODAY. OTHERWISE, NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WN/MPD
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Washington, August 2, 2004
- Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, August 2, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, August 2 to 3, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Michigan, August 2, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, August 2, 2004
- Damaging Wind and Heavy Rain in Florida, August 2, 2004
- Damaging Winds in Utah, August 2, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, August 2, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Idaho, August 2, 2004
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, August 2, 2004
- Tornado in Tennessee, August 2, 2004
- Flash Flood in Washington, August 2, 2004
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, August 2004
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: 5421771.