135
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$15.3M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Essex County, New Jersey: 135 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #93 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Essex County, New Jersey: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Essex County is the 2010s, when 45 of the county's 135 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Essex County archive, flash flood makes up 33.8% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #93 for this hazard and #3 within New Jersey, putting it in the 97.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Essex County with 36 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2021 | IRVINGTON | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 2021 | MAPLEWOOD | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 2021 | BRILLS JCT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2025 | SILVER LAKE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | FOREST HILL | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | BLOOMFIELD | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2024 | WATSESSING | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2024 | NUTLEY | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2024 | LIVINGSTON | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2024 | NUTLEY | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2024 | LIVINGSTON | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2024 | SILVER LAKE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2024 | SOUTH ORANGE | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Essex County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A car carrying two Seton Hall University students was overcome by flood waters on Main Avenue near Benson Avenue in Passaic. The body of one of the students, a 21 year old man, was later found in Newark after being swept down the Passaic River.
A 55 year old man was found dead on Ridgewood Road in the vicinity of Berkeley Road in Maplewood due to flooding. He is believed to have been swept away by flood waters while attempting to remove debris from drains in the area.
The Third River at Bloomfield rose above its minor flood stage of 6.0 feet at 8:10pm EDT. The river then continued to rise, surpassing moderate flood stage (8.0 feet) at 8:45pm EDT and major flood stage (9.0 feet) at 9:05pm EDT before cresting at a height of 10.14 feet at 11:30pm EDT. After cresting, the river quickly fell back below minor flood stage by 3:45am EDT September 2nd. The crest of 10.14 feet is the highest on record for this location, exceeding the previous record crest of 9.97 feet in September 1999 due to Hurricane Floyd.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Essex County, New Jersey?
135 flash flood events are recorded in Essex County between 1996 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Essex County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Essex County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Essex County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Essex County, New Jersey.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-jersey/essex-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.