High Wind — Sussex, New Jersey
2014-03-12 to 2014-03-13 · Sussex, New Jersey
Wider weather episode
The strong pressure gradient (difference) between an intensifying strong low pressure system and a high pressure system in the Ohio Valley caused high to strong northwest winds to occur across New Jersey from the evening of the 12th following a cold frontal passage through the daytime hours on the 13th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph, with some gusts as high as around 60 mph. The strongest winds occurred overnight on the 12th. The high winds toppled a tree that killed one man in Sussex County and the high winds damaged the roof of one store in Morris County. In addition, the prolonged period of strong winds caused weak tree limbs, trees and power lines to be knocked down and caused widely scattered power outages. About 1,700 homes and businesses lost power and a number of roadways were closed because of downed trees and limbs.
In Sussex County, a 74-year-old man was killed when an 80 foot tall tree fell completely through his home on Maxim Drive in Hopatcong on the afternoon of the 13th. The tree also damaged the neighboring home. Roofing debris on a kerosene heater started a small fire. A police officer rescued two dogs in the house and was injured extinguishing the fire. In Morris County, a piece of roofing material of a Bed, Bath and Beyond store on International Drive in Flanders was ripped away. The roofing debris struck a gas line and started a small fire. The mall was evacuated as a precaution. In Burlington County, a downed tree blocked U.S. Route 206 in Mansfield Township. In Camden County, a downed tree damaged a business sign in Camden. Another downed tree blocked Kearsarge Road in Camden.
Peak wind gusts included 62 mph in Cape May (Cape May County), 59 mph in Harvey Cedars (Ocean County) and Wantage (Sussex County), 58 mph in Tuckerton (Ocean County), 56 mph in Cape May (Cape May County), 52 mph in Sandy Hook (Monmouth County) and Brick Township (Ocean County), 50 mph at the Atlantic City International Airport, 49 mph at the McGuire Air Force Base (Burlington County), 48 mph in Newport (Cumberland County) and Sea Girt (Monmouth County), 47 mph in Absecon (Atlantic County), 46 mph in Trenton (Mercer County) and Belmar (Monmouth County) and 45 mph in Lumberton (Burlington County).
The low pressure system responsible for the strong winds emerged from the Rockies on the evening of the 10th. It reached central Missouri on the evening of the 11th and western Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 12th. It already was an intense 984 millibar low pressure system. The northeast moving 982 millibar low pressure system reached central New Jersey at 8 p.m. EDT on the 12th as its cold front as moving through the state. The 981 millibar low pressure system was near Boston, Massachusetts at 11 p.m. EDT on the 12th and reached Nova Scotia as a 976 millibar low pressure system at 5 a.m. EDT on the 13th. It continued to move northeast through the Canadian Maritimes during the day on the 13th and very slowly weakened. By evening on the 13th, the high pressure system was close enough to New Jersey that the pressure gradient (difference) weakened and the strong winds stopped.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 508619. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.