This is the 25th anniversary of a historic NJ weather disaster

If I asked you to list New Jersey's four most impactful tropical storms in recent memory, what would you answer?

The remnants of Ida (2021) were the most recent instance of catastrophic, historic tropical flooding.

Sandy (2012) was a generational storm that probably tops all lists of New Jersey storms due to the terrible storm surge and widespread wind damage.

Irene (2011) one year earlier caused massive inland flooding.

And then?

Flood waters rise up to a street sign on Main St. in Bound Brook, N.J. Friday Sept. 17, 1999.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Twenty-five years ago this week — on Sept. 16, 1999 — Tropical Storm Floyd dumped over a foot of rain onto parts of New Jersey.

Background

Floyd formed off the west coast of Africa on September 7, 1999. (Because of that original point on the far side of the Atlantic Ocean, it is known as a "Cape Verde hurricane.")

As it churned through the Bahamas as a powerful category 4 hurricane, sustained wind speeds maxed out around 155 mph with a minimum central pressure of 921 millibars. While Florida was originally in its crosshairs, Floyd turned north to parallel the U.S. East Coast.

Storm track of Floyd. The change from red to yellow coloring indicates when the storm was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. (NOAA / NHC)

Following its U.S. landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina, Floyd weakened to a tropical storm as it approached New Jersey.

Satellite image of Hurricane Floyd as it approached the U.S. East Coast in September 1999. (NOAA / NHC)

Gov. Christine Todd Whitman declared a State of Emergency, prompting widespread closures of schools and business across New Jersey. (I remember remarking that it was the only time in my 13 years as a public school student that we had a "rain day" off from school.)

During the brunt of the storm, heavy rainfall caused many of New Jersey's waterways — including the Delaware, Raritan, and Passaic rivers and related tributaries — to crest at record levels. Bound Brook in Somerset County was particularly hard-hit, with 12 feet of floodwater in the downtown area. (These flood stages would not be challenged again until Irene and Ida.)

Widespread flooding necessitated evacuations and days-long road closures. Utility outages affected electrical, gas, telephone, and water services.

Due to contaminated water, a flood victim fills containers from a water tanker Saturday Sept. 18, 1999 in Bridgewater, NJ. (AP)

By the Numbers

A large swath of western and northern New Jersey saw 8 to 12+ inches of rainfall from Floyd. The top total was 14.11 inches at Little Falls, Passaic County. The 100-year storm recurrence was exceeded in many places in the state. In a glimmer of good news, Floyd was a tremendous drought-buster after an abnormally very dry summer.

Rainfall totals from Hurricane (Tropical Storm) Floyd in September 1999. (NOAA / NHC)

While rain was Floyd's biggest impact in New Jersey, minor coastal flooding and beach erosion occurred too. Top wind speed recorded was 44 mph sustained and a 53 mph gust at the Newark International Airport weather station. That is tropical storm force according to the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Seven deaths were registered in New Jersey as a result of the storm, including six drownings and one fatal accident on the NJ Turnpike. Additionally, a police lieutenant in Cranford took his own life after numerous consecutive days of coordinating high-water rescues.

Floyd's total death toll was 85, with 51 in North Carolina alone.

A flooded neighborhood in Bound Brook, N.J. on September 17, 1999. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Over 40,000 residences and 2,000 businesses in New Jersey were damaged from Floyd's water and wind. More than 600,000 customers lost power at some point before, during, or after the storm. Statewide damage was estimated at $250 million. (Compared to $1 billion from Irene and $30 from Sandy, unadjusted for inflation.)

Total U.S. damage estimate from Floyd reached $6.5 billion.

Retirement / Closing Thoughts

As a result of the widespread destruction and loss of life, the name Floyd was retired from the official list of Atlantic hurricane names. It was replaced by Franklin the next time the 1999 list was used in 2005 and in subsequent seasons.

--Evacuated residents watch as a rescue boat with other evacuees approaches dry land on a residential street flooded by overflow from the nearby Raritan River in Bound Brook, N.J., in this file photo from Sept. 17, 1999. (Associated Press)

Following Floyd, numerous flood mitigation efforts were made across New Jersey. The most notable of which, the Green Brook Flood Control Project, built protective levees on each side of Bound Brook, subject to chronic flooding.

Because of massive flooding, firefighters could not reach this fire in Bound Brook, N.J. (Associated Press)

For those affected, Tropical Storm Floyd was an incredible and very memorable storm — it is hard to believe it hit exactly a quarter-century ago.

We have unfortunately suffered other big storms since then. But each one presents an opportunity to learn and be better prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at New Jersey.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Check out Dan's weather blog or follow him on Facebook for your latest weather forecast updates.