100-Year Flood Hits Parts Of South Jersey Monday

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Portions of Burlington and Bucks counties saw nearly a foot of rain in what the National Weather Service has labelled a “100-year flood” on Monday.

“A significant flash flood occurred Monday afternoon and evening near the Delaware River in Bucks and Burlington counties,” the National Weather Service said in a post on Twitter. The areas greatest impacted by this event received 6"-10" of rain in around 3-4 hours. This is estimated to be a 100-year flood.”

A 100-year flood is defined as an event that has a 1 in 100 chance of being exceeded or equaled in any given year.

The National Weather Service has not yet posted specific rainfall totals, but Burlington County spokesman David Levinsky told Patch that Florence saw about 7 inches of rain in four hours. Flooding was reported on roads and in residential areas in Florence, Burlington Township and Burlington City.

There were 12 water rescues, although Levinsky wasn't sure where they took place. The Burlington County Dispatch Center received 400 emergency calls during the storm, and 1,400 non-emergency calls, but there were no serious injuries, Levinsky said.

While there were about 100 Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) customers without power as of 9 a.m., almost all power had been restored by 1 p.m., officials said. All Burlington County roads were open as of Tuesday morning.

No significant flooding along the Rancocas Creek was reported following last night’s storms, but emergency management staff are keeping close watch due to potential rain later Tuesday.

The county was set to begin preliminary damage assessments on Tuesday, and was going to be reaching out to the hardest hit towns to help with cleanup and supplies, according to the Burlington County Board of Commissioners.

“Last night’s storm produced intense rainfall that created some significant flooding in some parts of our county,” Commissioner Deputy Director Dan O’Connell, liaison to the Burlington County Department of Public Safety and the Office of Emergency Management. “We’re thankful that there were no serious injuries reported and that our first responders were able to assist those residents who needed it. We’re just beginning to collect information about damages, but we know there’s going to be a lot of cleaning up to do.”

A Heat Advisory remains in effect for the county through 8 p.m. Tuesday night. Heat index values are expected to reach 102. Read more here: Heat Advisory In Effect For Burlington County

The following is the forecast for the rest of the week in Burlington County:

Wednesday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 92. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday

Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 91.

Thursday Night

Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 72.

Friday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 50%.