Flash Flood — Union, New Jersey

2021-09-01 · near Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey

Event narrative

Four people died due to flooding at the Oakwood Plaza apartment complex on Irvington Avenue in Elizabeth. All four people were found in one apartment and included a 74 year old woman, her 71 year old husband, their 38 year old son, and a 33 year old neighbor.

Wider weather episode

Extremely heavy rainfall associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ida overspread northeast New Jersey during the evening of September 1 and continued through the early morning hours of September 2. Rainfall totals ranged from 5-8+ inches across much of the region, with much of that rain falling in just a few hours. The ASOS at Newark Airport recorded 8.44 inches of rain, while the ASOS at Teterboro Airport recorded 7.14 inches. A COOP observer in Harrison recorded 8.72 inches of rain. This resulted in widespread flash flooding leading to numerous road closures and water rescues in addition to extensive river flooding. Eight people died as a result of the flash flooding and one person remains missing.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.6715, -74.2195)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 987260. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.