The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| event_type | Heavy Rain |
|---|---|
| ncei_event_id | 5,660,315 |
| episode_id | 2,081,813 |
| begin_utc | 1998-05-08T09:00:00+00:00 |
| end_utc | 1998-05-12T21:00:00+00:00 |
| state | NEW JERSEY |
| cz_type | Z |
| cz_name | WESTERN CAPE MAY |
| deaths_direct | 0 |
| deaths_indirect | 0 |
| injuries_direct | 0 |
| injuries_indirect | 0 |
| wfo_source | AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC |
| episode_narrative | A series of low pressure systems that passed through the Middle Atlantic States and then stalled offshore gave the state of New Jersey nearly five days of continuous rain from when it started Friday morning the 8th until it exited the state from north to south on Tuesday the 12th. Storm totals ranged from 2.4 to 5.8 inches. The highest storm totals were in Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The lowest occurred in the valleys of Sussex County. Overall there were few periods of heavy downpours and there were sufficient lulls of light rain or drizzle to keep most small streams within bankfull. This though was not the case with some of the larger rivers in the Passaic and Raritan Basins which reached flood stage. By far the worst flooding occurred in the Rancocas Creek Basin in Burlington County. The North Branch of the Rancocas Creek at Pemberton crested at 3.6 feet at 8 a.m. EDT on the 11th, the sixth highest crest ever.In Burlington County, flooding in the Rancocas Basin started toward evening on Saturday the 9th and peaked on the 11th. The county recommended a voluntary evacuation on the 11th. About 100 persons evacuated their homes in Eastampton, Mount Holly, Pemberton and Southampton Townships. A shelter was opened at the Vincentown Firehouse on the 11th and 12th, but most stayed with friends or families. Three hundred volunteers worked through the day and put 2,000 sandbags around vulnerable properties. The Ewansville Section of Southampton Township was hit the hardest with 60 to 70 homes damaged by the flooding on five different streets. Both the North and South Branches of the Rancocas Creek flooded within the township. In addition Mill Pond overflowed and forced the closure of two addition streets. In Eastampton Township, the worst flooding occurred along Mill Creek (Mill Creek also flooded) and Rabbit Run Roads. One house was damaged, but others were flooded. Propane tanks were breaking free and floating down the creek. In Pemberton Township, the Rancocas flooded Creek and Shady Lanes. Farther downstream residents in low-lying areas of Kate's Tract within Mount Holly were urged to evacuate. The Burlington County Health Department issued a well water advisory and urged residents to boil their well water before using it. The North Branch of the Rancocas Creek at Pemberton was above its 2.7 foot flood stage from 6 p.m. EDT on the 9th through 2 a.m. EDT on the 15th. It crested at 3.6 feet at 8 a.m. EDT on the 11th.The second hardest hit area was the Passaic Basin in Morris County. Minor to moderate flooding occurred along the Passaic River and some of its major tributaries. Along the Rockaway River, the police closed several roads in Dover and Rockaway Townships. Low lying areas also flooded in Boonton, Denville, Dover and Lake Hiawatha. Flooding along the Pompton River forced the closure of 15 side streets in Lincoln Park and five streets in Pequannock. In Pequannock, people in flooded areas were walking along the railroad tracks and the police recommended moving cars to higher ground. The flood waters came within 20 feet of an A & P Supermarket. The Rockaway River below the Boonton reservoir reached its 5 foot flood stage at 2 p.m. EDT on the 10th, crested at 6.04 feet at 11 p.m. EDT on the 11th and was back within bankfull at 2 a.m. EDT on the 14th. The Pompton River at Pompton Plains crested at 16.33 feet at 230 a.m. EDT on the 12th. It was above its 16 foot flood stage from Noon EDT on the 11th through 9 a.m. EDT on the 12th. The Pequannock River at the Macopin Dam reached its 5.5 flood stage at 2 p.m. EDT on the 10th, crested at 5.96 feet at 4 a.m. EDT on the 11th and was back within bankfull 10 a.m. EDT on the 13th. Along the main stem of the Passaic River, at Chatham the river crested at 6.18 feet at 11 p.m. EDT on the 12th and was above its 6 foot flood stage from 9 p.m. EDT on the 11th through 9 a.m. EDT on the 13th. In Pine Brook, the Passaic River was above its 19 foot flood stage from 7 a.m. EDT on the 11th through 7 p.m. EDT on the 16th. It crested at 20.07 feet at 330 a.m. EDT on the 13th. Some minor flooding occurred in the Raritan River Basin in Somerset County. One roadway was closed near the North Branch of the Raritan River in Bridgewater and two causeways were closed in Franklin Township. Interstate 287 was flooded in spots on the 9th. The Raritan River at Bound Brook crested barely above its 26 foot flood stage (26.01 feet) at 930 a.m. EDT on the 12th. The Millstone River at Blackwells Mills crested at 9.7 feet at 3 a.m. EDT on the 11th. It was above its 9 foot flood stage from 9 a.m. EDT on the 10th through 3 p.m. EDT on the 12th.Elsewhere across the state. most of the flooding problems were confined to flooded basements, backyards and some poor drainage flooding. New Jersey State Route 33 was closed in Neptune (Monmouth County) on the 9th due to the rain. The above normal precipitation throughout the first part of 1998 raised the water table to relatively high levels and the prolonged rain caused additional problems, particularly in Atlantic, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. A couple of small streams flooded. On the evening of May 10th, Quaker Road was closed within Princeton Township (Mercer County) after the Stony Creek flooded. On the morning of May 11th, County Route 644 was closed in Vernon (Sussex County) after the Pochuck Creek flooded over the roadway. Township school buses had to find alternate routes. The prolonged rain also caused some inland lakes to flood. In Middlesex County, Duhernal Lake in Old Bridge Township overflowed and flooded yards at the end of West Avenue on the 11th. In Ocean County, poor drainage flooding was reported in Beachwood and Dover Townships on the 12th. In Lacey Township, ponds overflowed and added to the poor drainage flooding. The prolonged rain also loosened the ground and knocked over a few weak trees across the state, especially near coastal areas on the 12th as wind gusts reached above 40 mph. Power outages due to downed trees occurred in Morris County. Downed trees were also reported in Atlantic (within Atlantic City), Ocean (in Lacey Township) and Somerset (damaged a vehicle in Bernardsville) Counties. A peak wind gust of 47 mph was reported at the Marina in Atlantic City at 2 p.m. EDT on the 12th.The heaviest rain for any given day during this event fell across most of the southern part of the state on Friday the 8th. The axis of heavy rain slowly shifted northward over the weekend. The heaviest rain on Saturday the 9th fell between Interstates 78 and 195 and on Sunday the 10th over Northwest New Jersey. The heaviest rain on Monday the 11th occurred in Somerset and Warren Counties while the heaviest rain for this event for Cape May County occurred on Tuesday the 12th. Tuesday May 12th also marked the 12th consecutive day that any precipitation (trace or greater) fell at the Philadelphia International Airport. This tied the monthly record for the month of May previously set in 1894.Storm totals included 5.77 inches in Matawan (Monmouth County), 5.56 inches at the Atlantic City International Airport, 5.37 inches in New Lisbon (Burlington County), 5.35 inches in Freehold (Monmouth County), 5.28 inches in Harvey Cedars (Ocean County), 5.00 inches in Iselin (Middlesex County), 4.96 inches at the McGuire Air Force Base (Burlington County), 4.80 inches in Windsor (Mercer County) and Absecon (Atlantic County), 4.77 inches in Hamilton Square (Mercer County), 4.76 inches in Wertsville (Hunterdon County), 4.64 inches in Mount Laurel (Burlington County), 4.43 inches in Riegelsville (Hunterdon County), 4.35 inches in Sparta (Sussex County), 4.18 inches in New Brunswick (Middlesex County), 4.17 inches at High Point (Sussex County), 4.03 inches at Boonton (Morris County), the National Weather Service Office in Westampton (Burlington County) and Cherry Hill (Camden County), 4.01 inches in Cape May Courthouse, 4.00 inches in Verga (Gloucester County), 3.96 inches in Somerdale (Camden County) and Belle Mead (Somerset County), 3.82 inches in Stewartsville (Warren County), 3.70 inches in Oak Ridge (Morris County), 3.60 inches in Bound Brook (Somerset County), 3.50 inches in Millville (Cumberland County), 3.49 inches in Bethel Mill Park (Gloucester County), 3.42 inches in Belvidere (Warren County), 2.95 inches in Seabrook (Cumberland County) and 2.76 inches in Dennis Township (Cape May County).A low pressure system heading toward the Middle Atlantic States was in the lower Ohio Valley the morning of the 7th. By the morning of the 8th, it moved into northern Indiana as a secondary was forming in Virginia. On the morning of the 9th, this secondary low was located about 275 miles southeast of Atlantic City. But, it became trapped by a low at upper levels of our atmosphere and drifted slowly south through the morning of the 10th. Meanwhile, a large high pressure system started building into Northern New England. Yet another low pressure system developed over the Southern Plains on the 9th and was in the Tennessee Valley the morning of the 10th. On the morning of the 11th, two low pressure systems, one trapped under the closed low in the western Atlantic and the other just east of Charleston, South Carolina continued the wet onshore flow. These two lows merged into one by the morning of the 12th about 275 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and remained nearly stationary through the 14th. The high pressure system over Northern New England slowly built south and brought drier air into the region and gave the area its first rain-free days of the month on the 13th and 14th. |
| year | 1,998 |
Provenance
This slot's source list is not carried on the manifest row; open the dossier below.
Storage: spine