Flood — Morris, New Jersey

2011-03-07 to 2011-03-17 · near Lincoln Park, Morris, New Jersey

Event narrative

Major flooding occurred in eastern Morris County and started on the 7th. Sections of the Pompton and Passaic Rivers never had a chance to recede before the next round of heavy rain arrived on the 10th. The worst flooding and damaged occurred after the second round of heavy rain. Nevertheless, about twenty homes were evacuated in Lincoln Park when the Pompton River crested the first time. During the second and more serious round of flooding, over 1,000 homes were affected by flood waters in Pequannock and Lincoln Park. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army distributed nearly 4,000 meals and 4,500 snacks. The American Red Cross also distributed nearly 700 clean-up kits and 200 bulk items. Pumps, fans, wet vacs and dehumidifiers were in demand. In Pequannock, 1,300 homes were affected by flood waters and around 100 homes were damaged. About 1,500 people were evacuated and 2,000 residents affected by the flood waters. The hardest hit area was the lower village south of Jackson Avenue, by Madison Avenue and east of the Newark-Pompton Turnpike. New Jersey State Route 23 was closed and was flooded at its intersection with Jackson Avenue. The National Guard dispatched five high water rescue vehicles. Barricades and bagging helped minimize flood damage to a shopping center off of New Jersey State Route 23. In Lincoln Park, twelve homes were evacuated and 200 homes were affected by flood waters. A shelter was opened in the borough. Riveredge Road was under three feet of water. U.S. Route 202 was closed. Firefighters needed a boat to fight one fire.

The Passaic River at Pine Brook had major flooding with its second crest and was above its 19 foot flood stage from 430 p.m. EST on the 7th through 1245 a.m. EDT on the 18th. The first crest was 20.09 feet at 9 p.m. EST on the 8th. The next crest was 22.04 feet at 1130 p.m.EST on the 12th and that was the sixth highest crest on record. Farther downstream, the Passaic River at Lincoln Park or Circle Burners went above its 6 foot flood stage at 516 p.m. EST on the 7th and had its highest crest of 11.26 feet at 1115 p.m. EDT on the 12th.

The Pompton River along the Morris County border had major flooding also and the lower part of the river did not fall below flood stage before the next heavy rain event arrived on the 10th. The Pompton River at Midwood Road rose above its 7.5 foot flood stage at 150 a.m. EST on the 7th. It had major flooding occur twice. Its first crest was 12.6 feet at 10 p.m. EST on the 7th. The second crest reached 13.3 feet at 250 p.m. EST on the 11th before the gage became submerged. The actual crest in all likelihood was higher. Farther downstream, the Pompton River at the Mountainview Bridge had a major flood crest of 14.1 feet at 5 a.m. EST on the 12th. Its flood stage is 8 feet.

Precipitation amounts during the first event included 2.98 inches in Lincoln Park, 2.82 inches in Parsippany and 2.70 inches in Chatham. Precipitation amounts during the second event included 2.98 inches in Parsippany and 2.84 inches in Chatham.

Wider weather episode

A slow moving cold front with waves of low pressure that developed along it brought a precipitation event that dropped between 1.5 and 4 inches of water equivalent across Northern New Jersey from the early morning of the 6th into the early morning of the 7th. Melting snow contributed to the runoff. The heaviest rain fell during the late afternoon and evening of the 6th. Precipitation ended briefly as snow over the higher terrain of northwest New Jersey during the early morning on the 7th. In Eastern Morris County, sections of the Pompton and Pasaic Rivers were still above flood stage when another heavy rain event occurred from the early morning of the 10th into the morning on the 11th. An additional 2 to 5 inches of rain fell and exacerbated and caused major flooding on both rivers. Governor Christopher Christie declared a state of emergency before the start of the second round of heavy rain on March 9th. Some locations on those rivers did not fall below flood stage until after Eastern Daylight Time began (on March 13th). Throughout the state, 683 dwellings were affected by both flooding events and 207 suffered at least major damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.9235, -74.2921)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 293547. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.