Strong winds from a possible dry microburst overturned a portable backstop, injuring 3 in Bergen County.
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.
The episode as NWS OKX wrote it up.
Strong winds from a possible dry microburst overturned a portable backstop, injuring 3 in Bergen County.
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 Mar 24, 1:17 PM EST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY 217 PM EDT MON MAR 24 2008 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST THROUGH TUESDAY AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OFF THE SE COAST AND TRACKS NE INTO THE OPEN ATLANTIC WATERS. A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA WED MORNING...FOLLOWED BY A COLD FRONT WED AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS BRIEFLY ON THU WHILE ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE PLAINS KEEPING AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AN INCREASE OF HIGH BASED STRATO CU SHOULD TAKE PLACE THIS AFTERNOON MAINLY NORTH/WEST OF NYC AS A MID LEVEL TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. NAM APPEARED OVERDONE WITH 700-800 MB MOISTURE SO WHILE THERE WILL BE GOOD LOW LEVEL ASCENT AND STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES...DO NOT THINK WE WILL SEE SPRINKLES PER EARLIER FORECAST. SKIES WILL CLEAR OUT TONIGHT AS TROUGH AXIS SLIDES EAST OF THE AREA AND RIDGING AT THE SFC AND ALOFT REGAINS CONTROL. 00Z MAV STILL LOOKED TOO WARM WITH HIGHS TODAY SO WENT CLOSER TO FWC. MAV TONIGHT LOOKED REASONABLE AND WAS ACCEPTED. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... SFC RIDGE AXIS WILL SLIDE EAST OF THE AREA TUE AFTERNOON AS NEXT NEST SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. GFS MUCH FLATTER WITH THE UPPER FLOW AS COMPARED TO THE ECMWF AND NAM...BUT HOLDS ONTO A STRONGER SHEARED VORT MAX AS IT MOVES INTO WESTERN NY WHICH JUST DOESN/T LOOK RIGHT...SO WILL PUT LITTLE WEIGHT ON THE UPPER PATTERN OF THE GFS. UPPER TROUGH BECOMES NEGATIVELY TILTED TUE NIGHT WITH THE BEST UPPER SUPPORT MOVING INTO SE CANADA. AT THE SFC...DECENT ISENTROPIC LIFT BECOMES ESTABLISHED IN A WAA PATTERN TUE NIGHT AS A WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH LOW PRESSURE MOVING INTO QUEBEC APPROACHES. EXPECT LIGHT RAIN TO DEVELOP MAINLY NORTH AND WEST OF NYC DURING THE EVENING HOURS...AND CONTINUE UNTIL THE FRONT PUSHES NORTH OF THE AREA EARLY WED MORNING. TREND IN POPS OVER THE LAST FEW RUNS HAS BEEN LESS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CWA...SO HAVE CONFINED LIKELY PRIMARILY TO NORTHERN ZONES. EASTERN AREAS MAY NOT SEE MUCH PRECIP WITH THE RETREATING HIGH STILL IN CLOSE PROXIMITY...SO ONLY KEPT HIGH CHC POPS ACROSS EASTERN ZONES IN CT. LOW TEMPERATURES ACROSS INLAND AREAS TUE NIGHT COME CLOSE TO THE FREEZING MARK...BUT THE PATTERN DOES NOT DEPICT A COLD AIR DAMMING SCENARIO. SOUNDINGS ALSO INDICATE BOUNDARY LAYER WARMING BEFORE THE REST OF THE COLUMN...SO COULD SEE SOME FLAKES MIX IN...BUT FREEZING RAIN DOES NOT LOOK TO BE A CONCERN. COLD FRONT SLIDES ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AREA WED AFTN BUT A DRYING WESTERLY DOWNSLOPING FLOW WILL LIMIT MOISTURE CONTENT IN THE ATMOSPHERE. MAY NOT SEE MORE THAN JUST CLOUDS PRECEDING THE FROPA...BUT WILL CONTINUE WITH THE SCHC POPS ALREADY IN DATABASE. SO A LIGHT QPF EVENT IN ORDER...MAINLY WITH THE OVERRUNNING. CLOUD COVER WILL DECREASE BEHIND THE COLD FROPA AND A FLAT FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP THE COLDEST AIR BOTTLED UP TO THE NORTH. SHOULD SEE HIGHS REACH THE LOWER TO MID 50S ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA WED (POSSIBLY UPPER 50S IN THE NYC METRO AREA) WITH THE AREA WARM SECTORED FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. OUTSIDE OF HIGHS ON WED...TEMPS LOOK TO CONTINUE TO RUN ON THE COOL SIDE. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF UNSETTLED WX APPEARS TO BE SHAPING UP FROM THU AFTERNOON THROUGH AT LEAST SAT AFTERNOON...AS LOW PRESSURE ORGANIZES EAST OF THE ROCKIES AND MOVES UP TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES REGION. ITS LEADING WARM FRONT WILL APPROACH...BUT WILL HAVE TROUBLE MOVING THROUGH UNTIL SAT AS HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTHEAST DELIVERS AN E-NE FEED OF COLDER AIR. TEMPS DROPPING BELOW FREEZING THU NIGHT INTO EARLY FRI MORNING...PLUS PARTIAL THICKNESSES AND VERTICAL TEMP PROFILES BASED ON THE 00Z/06Z GFS...POINT TOWARD THE POTENTIAL FOR INITIAL RAIN OR SNOW TO CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN/SLEET ACROSS THE INTERIOR AS COLDER AIR FEEDS DOWN FROM INTERIOR NEW ENGLAND. THE RAIN COULD EVEN MIX WITH SLEET IN NYC METRO AND ALONG THE COAST FOR A TIME. HOWEVER THIS SOLUTION IS NOT GROUND IN STONE...AS THE 00Z ECMWF WITH ITS WEAKER HIGH ORIENTED N-S OVER EASTERN NEW ENGLAND INTO THE NEARBY ATLANTIC WOULD ALLOW LOW LEVEL FLOW TO BE SE...KEEPING THE BOUNDARY LAYER WARM ENOUGH FOR RAIN THROUGHOUT THE AREA FOR MOST IF NOT ALL OF THU NIGHT. FORECAST CONFIDENCE FROM FRIDAY AND BEYOND BREAKS DOWN FURTHER AS MEDIUM RANGE MODELS HAVE TROUBLE TIMING SHORTWAVES EJECTED FROM A CLOSED LOW OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC INTO FAST ZONAL FLOW OVER THE LOWER 48. FOR THE LOCAL AREA THIS IMPACTS THE TIMING OF THE LOW AS IT PASSES NORTH OF THE AREA SAT/SAT NIGHT...AND THE PASSAGE OF ITS ASSOCIATED FRONTAL SYSTEM. THIS FORECAST WILL BE BASED ON A BLEND OF THE SLOWER 00Z GFS/GEFS MEAN PER PRELIM HPC GUIDANCE...WITH THE WARM FRONT LIFTING NORTH INTO THE AREA DURING THE DAY ON SAT...FOLLOWED BY ITS TRAILING COLD FRONT SAT EVENING...THEN MAINLY DRY WX ON SUNDAY. && .AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH TUE. AN UPPER LVL TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING...BRINGING CLOUDS AT 5000 TO 7000 FT. LIGHT ONSHORE BREEZES HAVE DEVELOPED AT COASTAL TERMINALS. WINDS SHOULD REMAIN OUT OF SE/SW AT 10 KTS OR LESS DURING THE AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH BY 22Z UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST. AS THE RIDGE ENTERS THE SE US TUESDAY AFTERNOON...WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE SW (DID NOT INCLUDE WIND SHIFT IN TODAYS TAFS SINCE TRANSITION WILL TAKE PLACE VERY LATE IN THE FORECAST PERIOD AT MOST TERMINALS). OUTLOOK FOR 18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THE NEXT CHANCE FOR SUB-VFR CONDITIONS IS TUE NIGHT INTO WED MORNING VIA ANOTHER COLD FROPA...PRECEDED BY A STRONG S WIND FLOW TUE NIGHT THEN FOLLOWED BY A GUSTY W FLOW WED AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SUB-VFR CONDITIONS COULD ALSO OCCUR THU INTO SAT AS A FRONTAL SYSTEM IMPACTS THE AREA. && .MARINE... ALTHOUGH NE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE AND SEAS WILL GRADUALLY BUILD IN RESPONSE TO A DEVELOPING OFFSHORE LOW AND UPSTREAM HIGH THROUGH TONIGHT...THEY WILL REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS. THE NEXT CHC FOR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL OCCUR TUE NIGHT AND AGAIN ON WED. FOR TUE NIGHT...AS A HIGH PRES RIDGE MVS OFFSHORE...A LOW LVL SOUTH WIND JET WILL DEVELOPS AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. S WINDS ARE FCST TO INCREASE TO 20-25 KT WITH GUSTS 25-30 KT. SEAS WILL BUILD 6 TO 9 FT. FOR WED...A GUSTY W WIND FLOW WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THIS COLD FRONT WITH SIMILAR WIND SPEEDS THAT OCCURRED DURING TUE NIGHT. AS A WARM FRONT DEVELOPS S OF THE REGION...AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF NE TO E WINDS ARE IN THE FCST THU NIGHT INTO SAT. && .HYDROLOGY... A FRONTAL SYSTEM TUE NIGHT/WED MAY BRING AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH OF QPF ACROSS NORTHERN ZONES...LESS TO THE SOUTH. MORE SIGNIFICANT QPF OF OVER AN INCH COULD OCCUR THU NIGHT INTO SAT...HIGHEST INLAND...AS LOW PRESSURE PASSING TO THE NORTH TAPS INTO GULF MOISTURE...WHICH THEN OVERRIDES A WARM FRONT JUST TO THE SOUTH. && .OKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...NONE. NY...NONE. NJ...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && AVIATION...BG/KCS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY 442 AM EDT MON MAR 24 2008 ANZ330-335-338-340-345-350-353-355-CTZ005>012-NJZ002>006-011- NYZ067>081-250845- LONG ISLAND SOUND EAST OF NEW HAVEN CT/PORT JEFFERSON NY- LONG ISLAND SOUND WEST OF NEW HAVEN CT/PORT JEFFERSON NY- NEW YORK HARBOR-PECONIC AND GARDINERS BAYS- SOUTH SHORE BAYS FROM JONES INLET THROUGH SHINNECOCK BAY- MORICHES INLET NY TO MONTAUK POINT NY OUT 20 NM- FIRE ISLAND INLET NY TO MORICHES INLET NY OUT 20 NM- SANDY HOOK NJ TO FIRE ISLAND INLET NY OUT 20 NM-NORTHERN FAIRFIELD- NORTHERN NEW HAVEN-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX-NORTHERN NEW LONDON- SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN-SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX- SOUTHERN NEW LONDON-WESTERN PASSAIC-BERGEN-EASTERN PASSAIC-ESSEX- HUDSON-UNION-ORANGE-PUTNAM-ROCKLAND-NORTHERN WESTCHESTER- SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-BRONX- RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)-KINGS (BROOKLYN)-QUEENS-NASSAU- NORTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-NORTHEASTERN SUFFOLK-SOUTHWESTERN SUFFOLK- SOUTHEASTERN SUFFOLK- 442 AM EDT MON MAR 24 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT...NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHEAST NEW YORK. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A movable backstop overturned froma 30-40 mph windgust, most likely from a dry microburst. 3 minor injuries resulted.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Jersey in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, March 2008
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: 90646.