Flood — Warren, New Jersey

1996-01-19 to 1996-01-21 · Warren, New Jersey

Wider weather episode

The flash flooding of the afternoon and early evening on the 19th led to larger river flooding through the 21st. The worst damage occurred along the Delaware River which crested at its highest stages in most places since the summer of 1955. Widespread flooding along the Raritan was described as the worst in Manville since Tropical Storm Doria in August 1971. Damage estimates exceeded $10 million dollars including $2 million dollars at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area. Only one person was seriously injured (hypothermia) in Raritan Township in Hunterdon County. Sussex, Warren, Morris and Hunterdon Counties were declared disaster areas.In Warren County, the break-up of an ice jam on the Delaware River near the Delaware Water Gap caused a rapid rise of the river on the 20th. About 800 persons were evacuated by boat, half from Harmony Township and most in townships along the Delaware River. Hardest hit (in order of magnitude) were Harmony, Pohatcong, White and Knowlton Townships. Water from the Delaware surrounded many homes. Some homes had water damage up to the second floor. Porches were washed away and chunks of ice were left behind. It was estimated that 130 residences including mobile homes and apartment buildings were badly damaged along with about twenty businesses. Beside the Delaware, flooding along the Musconetcong River innundated homes in Hackettstown; flooding along the Shabbecong Creek forced the evacuation of 50 people and caused water damage to 70 homes and flooding along the Pequest River innundated homes and businesses on Water and Wall Streets in Belvidere. In Hunterdon County, flooding continued along the Delaware River and forced the evacuation of over 500 residents on the 20th and 21st. More than half of the evacuations were in Lambertville. The worst damage occurred in Kingwood Township followed by Lambertville and Holland Townships. Homes in Lambertville had up to 5 feet of water in them. The older New Hope-Lambertville Bridge was closed from fear it might have been swept downstream. The footbridge to Lewis Island washed away. Elsewhere in the county, the South Branch of the Raritan River flooded many roads in Tewksbury Township the night of the 19th. In Raritan Boro alone, fire fighters responded to 127 calls of flooded basements. In Mercer County, more than 2,000 persons were evacuated from Hopewell and Ewing Townships and Trenton (Between New Jersey State Route 29 and the river) as the Delaware rose above flood stage on the 20th and 21st. The worst damage occurred in Trenton and Hopewell Township. The flooding from the river reached the State House Annex and parking lot in Trenton. The Assunpink Creek also flooded basements along Mulberry Street and caused what was described as a "littany of street closures".In Somerset County, both the Raritan and Millstone Rivers flooded. The flooding in Manville was the worst since Tropical Storm Doria in 1971. Manville became an island for several hours on the 18th as both the Raritan and Millstone crested. About 400 homes in Manville suffered water damage, 70 directly by the river. Some basements had water up to 7 feet deep. About 60 persons were evacuated, mainly in the "Lost Valley" area. Eighteen spent the night at a shelter. In Bound Brook 100 persons were evacuated and about a dozen homes were damaged. In Branchburg 50 persons were evacuated and about 8 homes were damaged. The North Branch of the Raritan River expanded to one-quarter of a mile wide. The flooding along the Millstone River forced the closure of many roadways including U.S. Route 206 and all the crossings into Franklin Township. In Morris County, dozens of people were evacuated along the Rockaway River in Denville and Boonton. There were numerous road washouts in Washington Township. In Sussex County, the worst damage was in Montague, Sandyston, Vernon and Walpack Townships. There were many washed out roads and damage to culverts and bridges.The following are crests of the major streams and rivers from this flood. In Sussex County, the Flat Brook at Flatbrookville crested at 6.6 feet at 6 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 6 feet. The Delaware River at Montague crested at 26.6 feet. Flood stage is 25 feet. In Warren County, the Delaware River at Tock's Island crested at 25.7 feet at 1 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 21 feet. Other Delaware River crests included 22.94 feet at Belvidere Bridge (Flood Stage 20 feet.) at 1 p.m. on the 20th, 30.65 feet at Phillipsburg (Flood Stage 22 feet.) and 28.72 feet at Riegelsville (Flood Stage 22 feet) at 6:15 p.m. on the 20th. In Hunterdon County, the Delaware River at New Hope (Opposite Lambertville) crested at 15.34 feet at 11 p.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 13 feet. The South Branch of the Raritan River crested at 10.43 feet in High Bridge at 2 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is estimated at 10 feet. The river crested at 9.75 feet at Stanton at 8 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 8 feet. In Mercer County, the Delaware River at Trenton crested at 22.19 feet at 130 a.m. on the 21st. Flood stage is 20 feet. The Assunpink Creek in Trenton crested at 10.38 feet at 10 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 7 feet. In Somerset County, the North Branch of the Raritan River at Raritan crested at 14.3 feet at 10 p.m. on the 19th. Flood Stage is 10 feet. The river came within 1.2 feet of its all-time record. This flood was described as a once in 50 year event. The main stem Raritan River at Manville crested at 19.94 feet at 430 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 12 feet. This was the highest stage since Tropical Storm Doria in August 1971. In Bound Brook, the Raritan crested at 33.3 feet. Flood stage is 26 feet. The Millstone River at Blackwell Mills crested at 15.2 feet at 915 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 9 feet. In Camden County, the Cooper River at Haddonfield crested at 3.27 feet at 4 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 2.8 feet. It was back within its banks during the early morning hours on the 20th. In Morris County, the Rockaway River above the Boonton Reservoir crested at 5.2 feet at 8 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 5 feet. The Rockaway River below the Boonton Reservoir crested at 6.34 feet at 1 p.m. on the 13th. Flood stage is also 5 feet. The Passaic River at Two Bridges crested at 9.65 feet at 7 p.m. on the 21st. Flood stage is estimated at 9 feet. Other Passaic River crests included 6.4 feet at Chatham (Flood stage is 6 feet.) at 3 p.m. on the 20th and 19.82 feet (Flood stage estimated at 19 feet.) at 11 p.m. on the 21st at Pine Brook. It took several days for the Passaic to return to its banks and it remained barely above flood stage through the 24th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5543243. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.