On Tuesday, June 28, New Jersey was again pummeled by severe thunderstorms. Essex, Morris, Hunterdon and Passaic counties among others were hit severely with flash flooding and downpours, rapidly lowering visibility for drivers, flooding highways and streets and downing trees. Two daycare centers full of children and staff were evacuated in Woodland Park, with officials of the town using high-water rescue vehicles to safely evacuate the children.
Storm drains across got backed up almost instantly, contributing to the rapid flooding. Vehicles were stalled from high water in some areas including Getty Avenue in Paterson. Public power company, PSEG, had to quickly respond to a downed, energized power line in Belleville that caught fire. Trees were downed again across the state, and officials warned residents to avoid fallen power lines and flooded areas.
“The storms just keep getting worse and worse. I feel like we don’t get normal rain anymore. It is either nothing at all or it feels like a hurricane,” said Newark Resident, Andrew Sakac. “I was trying to drive home yesterday from an appointment and my car lost traction three times! There were pools of floodwater everywhere on 280. It was terrible,” he said.
With more than five inches of rain falling in parts of Hunterdon and Essex counties during Tuesday’s storms, officials still warned that Wednesday and Thursday could also bring severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. The National Weather Service, however, canceled the Flood Watch that was in effect for most of the State on Wednesday morning, as the storm seems less severe than Tuesday’s.
Between JFK, La Guardia, and Newark Airports, over 1,100 flights were canceled due to Tuesday’s storms. JFK experienced 346, LaGuardia experienced 498, and Newark experienced 287. A man in Monroe Township in Middlesex, New Jersey was struck by lightning and was rushed to the hospital, without his condition being made clear to reporters. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani opened 51 overnight locations when the city received warnings of possible flash flood conditions. City Hall also advised anyone living in a basement apartment to get out of harm’s way and had a flash flood warning active until 8 PM on Wednesday.
Though the rain was less severe along the Shore and Southern New Jersey, there was a Tornado warning put in effect that remained active until Tuesday evening, when the storms began to pass.
These recent storms are leading many residents to call for better infrastructure in the state, especially in Paterson and Newark, where a lack of sufficient drain systems and green space leads to rapid flooding if a quick storm hits.
“We need more spaces for the water to go into! Block and block of just concrete and asphalt don’t absorb anything, and the next thing you know, your car is underwater, especially with the drain systems that seem to clog up instantly,” said Sakac.
