💧North Jersey saw more than five inches of rain in about three hours Sunday
💧Paterson reported at least 20 water rescues as roads quickly flooded
💧A half marathon went on despite a Flash Flood Warning and waist-deep water
An extremely heavy rain soaked parts of New Jersey with more than five inches of rain in three hours on Sunday, sending floodwaters rushing through North Jersey communities and prompting nearly a dozen water rescues in Paterson.
John Krasting, New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University, said the atmosphere was completely saturated and “juiced up,” allowing what he calls “once-in-a-generation” rainfall to fall between approximately 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Add in a stalled-out weather front and a slow-moving area of low pressure, and you’ve got the perfect conditions.
“Once the rain started, it just didn’t let up. Parts of Passaic and Bergen counties took it on the chin, once again. Our preliminary estimates are that this is at least a once-in-a-generation event in towns such as North Haledon, Haworth, and Little Falls,” Krasting said.
Both the National Weather Service and Rutgers University’s New Jersey Weather Network measured more than five inches in Harrington Park, Paramus, North Caldwell, North Haledon and West Caldwell.
NJ 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said Sunday’s rain was incredible, both in how torrential it was and how localized it was.
“Wading or swimming through floodwaters is both incredibly dangerous and disgusting. It doesn’t take much moving water to sweep a person downstream. And floodwater almost always has sewage, bacteria, and other nasty things floating in it — as if you needed another reason to stay on higher ground,” Zarrow said.
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Paterson rescues as floodwaters swallowed roads
Paterson was also flooded, with at least 20 water rescues, Mayor Andrew Sayegh said. One of the rescues involved a woman who fell out of her wheelchair and ended up floating down the street.
Sayegh said there were no immediate reports of any deaths or severe injuries from the deluge, even as video shared on social media showed parked cars submerged nearly up to their windows on some roads.
The heavy rain and a Flash Flood Warning couldn’t stop the Racefaster Half Marathon, whose course runs through Saddle River County Park, which quickly became flooded with waist-deep water. The start of the race at the Saddle River in Ridgewood was already delayed two hours, according to NBC New York.
“Bro, this is nuts,” former Bachelorette contestant Zac Clark said in a video he posted of the 5K as he held onto a railing with water rushing past him.
Runner Emily Smolenski told the Daily Voice she encountered flooding under bridges and ran through with a group.
“Just finished this, and jokes and perseverance aside, the organizers 100% needed to call this race. So unsafe and I hope no one got hurt,” @Clairerunsoutloud wrote in the comments of Clark’s post.
NBC New York reported that 250 people finished the race despite the flooding.
The impact of the heavy rain could stay with us for several days. Because of runoff, Zarrow says the movement of water downstream means waterways often do not crest until several hours or even days after heavy rain has subsided.
5-minute and accumulated rainfall measured by the NJWxNet station in North Haledon, NJ on Sunday, September 13, 2026. Return periods estimated from NOAA’s Atlas 14 Precipitation Climatology (Rutgers University’s New Jersey Weather Network)
(Includes material Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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