Storm Wallops Montclair: Trees Knocked Down, Power Outages Hit Residents

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A stormy weekend caused power outages and brought down trees in Montclair and other parts of New Jersey.

The Jersey Shore area got hit the worst by the nor'easter, which caused severe flooding up and down New Jersey's coastline and knocked out power for tens of thousands of people on Saturday and Sunday.

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The Montclair area got nearly 2 inches of rainfall over the weekend, according to estimates from the National Weather Service. Similar totals were reported at the lower Passaic River.

Montclair township officials warned local residents to be ready for heavy rain and strong winds – and the downed wires and potential flooding that comes with the stormy weather.

Montclair Mayor Renee Baskerville shared several storm-related updates over the weekend.

According to Baskerville, a power outage took place on South Mountain Avenue after a tree took down several utility poles in backyards. Another wire came down on Valley Road between Gordonhurst and Wildwood avenues, and a tree came down on Franklin Avenue.

Harrison Avenue near the border of West Orange also saw outages due to an incident in that township, the mayor said.

Meanwhile, a very large tree came crashing down across Cedar Avenue, pulling down wires and blocking the road. Pole reconstruction is required in addition to tree removal – all time-intensive work, Baskerville said, sharing a photo taken at the scene.

Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Andersen also commented on the storm and situation on Cedar Avenue.

“This latest storm is causing damage all over the region, and Montclair and neighboring towns aren’t being spared,” Andersen said.

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Montclair wasn’t the only New Jersey town that was hit by power outages last weekend. PSE&G said Sunday morning that it had restored power to nearly 52,000 customers.

“This storm continues to bring heavy rain, gusty winds and flooding — making restoration more challenging, as our crews can only begin restoration after conditions are safe for them to perform their work,” PSE&G reported.

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Montclair may see some more rain Monday. However, the skies are expected to clear up for the rest o the week, with a mixture of sun and clouds predicted for the region, the National Weather Service says.

Here’s what is in store for Montclair, the NWS reported:

Monday: Showers likely, mainly before 11am. Patchy fog between 11am and 2pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. North wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Monday Night: Patchy fog after 8pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Calm wind.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Light and variable wind.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.

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