This Time Hoboken's Flash Floods Have Snakes (Thursday Updates)

HOBOKEN, NJ — Flood-prone Hoboken was still suffering from flooding at numerous intersections Thursday after Tropical Depression Ida swept through — and one resident even posted a video Wednesday night of "tiny snakes" in a flood in the basement of a building.

[UPDATE: See photos of flooding around Hoboken Thursday; click here.]

• Street sweeping was suspended Thursday, according to Nixle alerts: "Street sweeping will occur as scheduled on Wednesday but it will be suspended on Thursday."
• The city also suspended construction projects for Thursday and told people to stay off the roads amid New Jersey's State of Emergency.

A Twitter user posted this video Thursday of drone footage:

Around North Jersey, towns got hit with as much as 10 inches of rain. One town, Westfield, told residents that first responders were removing 50 abandoned cars from flooded streets.

Wednesday night, Hoboken residents used the city's new beta flood mapping tool to report flash floods after storms moved in at 8 p.m.

After a tornado watch was issued for Hoboken and Hudson County until 1 a.m., residents were issued a tornado warning for a brief 9-minute period until 9:30 p.m. and told to go to their basements.

The flash flood warning in effect through Thursday morning. (Click here any time for current watches and warnings.)

READ MORE: What To Do When You Get Tornado Watch, Warning Alerts In NJ

Prior Coverage

As Tropical Depression Ida arrives with potentially higher rain levels than the last two major storms, the city of Hoboken issued an alert with a new beta flood mapping tool.

Low-lying Hoboken is known to experience flooding during severe storms. Tropical Storm Henri flooded several Hoboken intersections a week ago (see photos here).

The city also said street sweeping is suspended Thursday.

High tide in Hoboken during the flash flood watch period will be at 5:08 p.m. Wednesday and 6:01 a.m. Thursday.

The area is now under a flash flood watch from 8 a.m. Wednesday to 2 p.m. Thursday. See all watches and warnings for the area here.

See the Hoboken forecast and more links below.

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The Hoboken forecast says:

Wednesday night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Low around 62. East wind 11 to 14 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New rainfall amounts between 3 and 4 inches possible.

Thursday: Rain likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Got a good Hoboken storm photo? Email it to us here, with how you want your photo credit to read.

A new briefing from the National Weather Service on Wednesday morning put Hoboken and North Jersey in a "high risk" area for excessive rainfall due to Tropical Depression Ida. See the briefing here.

The city of Hoboken sent out a previous advisory about parking options and preparations for Ida, and on Wednesday they said that parking is becoming limited.

(Got a storm photo? Email it here and let us know how you want a photo credit to read.)

City Of Hoboken Advisory (and see more information below)

Residents are urged to move cars from flood-prone areas and avoid travel once the storm begins.

Residents should also secure all loose objects outside or bring them inside, especially on balconies. Outdoor tents should be taken down depending on wind load.

Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines, resulting in power outages.

Please report power outages and downed wires to PSEG at https://nj.myaccount.pseg.com/...

Avoid flood-prone areas

Flooding is expected at low-lying, flood-prone intersections. Residents should avoid flooded areas as floodwaters can contain rainwater and sewage. The Office of Emergency Management is posting “No Parking Signs” in these areas, which should be taken as advisories. Cars will not be towed. Barricades will be deployed near flood-prone intersections. Please do not drive around barricades.

These intersections include:

• 1st and Marshall
• 1st and Harrison
• 2nd and Harrison
• 3rd and Harrison
• 4th and Harrison
• 4th and Monroe
• 3rd and Jackson
• 4th and Jackson
• 7th and Willow
• 9th and Monroe
• 9th and Madison
• 10th and Madison
• 1st and Clinton
• 3rd and Clinton
• Henderson and Newark
• Grove and Newark

Report flooded intersections and clogged drain inlets by calling the NHSA Hotline at (866) 689-3970.

Discounted parking

Residents are encouraged to move their cars from flood-prone areas. Due to the predicted storm, a special rate of $5 per 24-hour period is being offered in Garages B (28 2nd Street) and D (215 Hudson Street) to residents with a valid Resident On-Street Parking Permit or Temporary Parking Permit, beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, September 1 through 5 p.m. Thursday, September 2.

In addition, Hoboken residents with either handicapped license plates or hangtags can park in the Midtown garage at 371 4th Street at the same reduced rate, but the City recommends parking in Garage B and Garage D as access to the Midtown garage will be limited at certain times on Wednesday due to ongoing milling operations. Garage space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Regular rates apply at other times.

Street sweeping will occur as scheduled on Wednesday but it will be suspended on Thursday.

Residents should monitor local forecasts for additional advisories, watches, and warnings. Residents are also encouraged to monitor the City’s Twitter (twitter.com/cityofhoboken) and Facebook (facebook.com/hoboken) or sign up to receive email or text updates by visiting www.hobokennj.gov/alerts.

Learn how Hoboken and NHSA prepare for, respond to, and recover from intense rainfall storms. Learn about Hoboken’s efforts to mitigate rainfall flooding.

More From Patch

• See New Jersey in the forecast cone for Ida here.

A hazardous weather outlook for Hudson County said, "Flooding is a possibility, especially across urban and poor drainage areas. However, there still is some uncertainty as to where the heaviest rain will be."

• To track the storm on the National Hurricane Center site, click here.
• See the potential rainfall map here.
• See current watches and warnings for Hudson County here.
• See the forecast for Hudson County here.

Intersections In Hoboken And Jersey City That May Flood

Jersey City has 14 "repeat flooding" intersections. See that list here.

The intersections in Hoboken that are most likely to flood include:

• 1st and Marshall
• 1st and Harrison
• 2nd and Harrison
• 3rd and Harrison
• 4th and Harrison
• 4th and Monroe
• 3rd and Jackson
• 4th and Jackson
• 9th and Monroe
• 9th and Madison
• 10th and Madison
• 1st and Clinton
• 3rd and Clinton
• Henderson and Newark
• Grove and Newark

Report flooded Hoboken intersections and clogged drain inlets by calling the NHSA Hotline at (866) 689-3970. Report power outages and downed wires to PSEG at https://nj.myaccount.pseg.com/....

Floods This Summer

Low-lying Hoboken is known to experience flooding during severe downpours; in fact, the city experienced flash floods twice last month as well as twice in July 2020. Last month, a flash flood trapped shoppers in a supermarket parking lot. READ MORE: Flash Flooding Traps Shoppers In Hoboken Lot

And Tropical Storm Henri flooded several Hoboken intersections a week ago (see photos here).

While some may consider flash floods just an inconvenience, these floods have proved fatal to drivers (sometimes trapping parents and children in their cars as water rises) and to children playing near small streams.

Severe storms are becoming more frequent. In fact, Hurricane Elsa in July 2021 was the earliest E-named storm in modern weather history.

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