The Labor Day Storm of 1998

One of the Fiercest Storms Ever in Northwestern Middlesex County

During the early summer of 2012, portions of the Garden State have been pummeled with several waves of severe weather. Fueled by a few torrid stretches of hot and humid weather, strong to severe thunderstorms have hammered a number of locations in New Jersey, especially in Monmouth, Ocean, and Atlantic counties over the first month of Meteorological Summer.  Read these related stories in the GWC Blog:

• June 8, 2012 – Severe Thunderstorms in Southern Monmouth, Ocean, and Atlantic counties–one produced a funnel cloud at Absegami HS.
• June 22, 2012 – Severe Thunderstorms in Monmouth and Ocean counties–hail and up to 6 inches of rain reported in Stafford.
• June 29, 2012 – Derecho in Southern New Jersey–two killed and thousands left without power.
• July 7, 2012 – Severe Thunderstorms in Hunterdon, Mercer, Southern Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties–reports of 78 mile per hour winds in Brick Township and 75 mile per hour winds in Toms River.

The derecho in the last week of June 2012 left many in Atlantic, Cumberland, and Salem counties in the dark. It devastated much of West Virginia.  It was the first such weather event in the Garden State in almost 15 years. The last time such a storm system caused such widespread damage in New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic was back on Labor Day 1998. 

In early September 1998, the world was just starting to discover the internet.  Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were closing in on Roger Maris’ single season home run record.  President Bill Clinton was embroiled in scandal.  Terrorist attacks had just occurred several weeks prior at U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the Atlantic was in the midst of a very active hurricane season.  

Before the Labor Day Storm of 1998 struck, temperatures were quite hot. Average temperature in New Brunswick in August of that year was 75 degrees while in Perth Amboy it was a bit warmer at 77 degrees. Maximum temperatures in September of that year was 93 in New Brunswick, 92 in Perth Amboy, 89 in Somerville, and 93 in Trenton.

This particular storm was actually one of two derechos to affect the Northeastern United States that day. According to the Storm Prediction Center, the first one struck farther north in Western New York near Syracuse and rolled across the central portion of the state before rambling into New England. The storm just took six hours to race from the Eastern Great Lakes to the New England coastline. 

The initial line of storms produced wind gusts of 77 miles per hour at Syracuse and 89 miles per hour at Rochester. Hardest hit areas had winds estimated up to 115 miles per hour. This first derecho left three people dead, 10 people injured, and over 1,000 homes and businesses damaged. Total damage from the storm was estimated to be $130 million at the time.  Residents were left without power for over a week.

As the first derecho raced toward the New England shore a couple hours before dawn, a second one began to form over the southeastern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Like the July 2012 derecho that devastated South Jersey, the storm had modest beginnings, but grew to be a monster.   A mature derecho can carry intense winds over very long distances.

The line of storms would develop a classic bow echo shape as it rolled through Ohio and Pennsylvania during the morning and early afternoon. The storm system made it to Northwestern Middlesex County around 2:15 PM, and rolled through the area with hurricane force winds that downed trees, knocked fences down, took out power, and overturned boats. 

The derecho moved east at a rate of 40 to 50 miles per hour.  According to the Home-News Tribune, winds were as high as 100 miles per hour or a Category Two Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.  Dime-sized hail was also reported according to the Newark Star-Ledger.  However, meteorologists from the National Weather Service indicated that the damage was mostly caused by straight-line winds.  

GWC was not too far from the epicenter of the heaviest damage caused by the derecho.  According to WeatherBug, Nearby towns in Union County such as Plainfield, Clark, Rahway, and Cranford all declared states of emergency, enforced curfews, and even delayed the start of school.  An EF0 tornado ripped through Plainfield into Scotch Plains.  An EF1 twister touched down in Clark and Rahway.  Chatham in Morris County reported a wind gust of 100 miles per hour.

According to the Daily Journal, wind gusts in Essex and Union counties ranged from 65 to 75 miles per hour.  The late summer squall resulted in a dramatic change in temperature.  Within an hour of the derecho’s arrival, the temperature dropped some 19 degrees at Newark Airport.  Winds gusted as high as 55 miles per hour in Newark.  

The Labor Day Storm of 1998 – Wind Gusts

Location	Wind Gust (mph)
Clark, NJ	110
Chatham, NJ	100
West Orange, NJ	74
Roselle, NJ	72
Garwood, NJ	71
Mountainside, NJ	70
Elizabeth, NJ	69
Millburn, NJ	68

Four people were killed and another 62 injured. Approximately 300,000 people were left without power.  In South Plainfield, the day had started with the traditional Labor Day 5K Run and Parade. I participated in the 5K Run, and it was quite warm and humid that morning. Following the race, I went home to relax and get ready for the family cookout in the afternoon. 

After lunch, the skies grew very dark, which prompted me to turn on the Weather Channel.   Seeing TWC’s local forecast and radar from Fort Dix, I sensed something significant was going to happen.   The local radar lit up my television screen like a Christmas tree.  A vast line of strong to severe thunderstorms was barreling through Eastern Pennsylvania into Western Jersey.  Warnings were issued. Within the next hour, winds picked up and conditions outside began to deteriorate.

The wind chimes in the front and back of the house started to swing wildly while clinging and clanging out of their normal rhythm.  Our two family cats became unnerved and began scurrying around the house.  I could see debris flying in the front of the house as the fierce winds roared outside.  Our family including the cats huddled in the dining room away from windows. We firmly held and petted the cats in an effort to keep them calm. 

Nobody dared to go outside and continued to stay away from the windows. Within a short while, the storm passed and the sun came back out. Residents in South Plainfield and visitors of the state, which came together to celebrate an annual tradition that is one of the most popular Labor Day Parades in the country, were left to pick up the pieces from downed trees and tree limbs, and other property damage.

It was one of the most memorable storms to roll through Northwestern Middlesex County in my memory. I took a walk around my neighborhood to survey the damage.  Not only there were downed trees and power lines, but a fence by the Wachovia Bank on Plainfield Avenue was knocked down.   The Labor Day Derecho of 1998 still ranks high even with memorable storms such as Hurricane Irene, Holiday Blizzard 2010, and the Severe Weather Outbreak of September 2010.