 Tropical Storm Floyd over the New York Metro area | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 16, 1999 |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 45 mph (70 km/h) |
| Highest gusts | 55 mph (85 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 997 mbar (hPa); 29.44 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 8 total |
| Damage | $250 million (1999 USD) |
| Areas affected | New Jersey |
Part of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season | |
| Effects
Other wikis | |
Hurricane Floyd in 1999 was the costliest natural disaster in New Jersey's history, until it was surpassed by Hurricane Irene in 2011. Damage in the state totaled $250 million (1999 USD), much of it in Somerset and Bergen counties. Seven people died in New Jersey during Floyd's passage – six due to drowning, and one in a traffic accident. A police lieutenant took his life after coordinating floodwater rescues for nearly 48 hours.
Hurricane Floyd struck North Carolina on September 16 and moved up the East Coast of the United States, crossing over much of the Jersey Shore as a tropical storm. Ahead of the storm, the National Hurricane Center issued hurricane and tropical storm warnings for the coastline. Following the state's fourth-worst drought in a century, Floyd dropped rainfall across New Jersey, peaking at 14.13 in (359 mm) in Little Falls; this was the highest statewide rain from a tropical cyclone since 1950. The rains collected in rivers and streams, causing record flooding at 18 river gauges, and mostly affecting the Raritan, Passaic, and Delaware basins. A water treatment plant was damaged in Bridgewater Township, forcing nearly 500,000 people in Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties to boil water for eight days.
After the storm, the name Floyd was retired and removed from the Atlantic hurricane naming list. The United States government provided New Jersey with over $277 million in disaster related assistance. After floodwaters in Bound Brook reached 13 ft (4.0 m) deep, the Green Brook Flood Control Project was built to prevent future floods; the section near Bound Brook opened in 2016.