JULY 29, 1961: RED BANK’S WETTEST DAY
Pedestrians fording floodwaters in downtown Red Bank during the storm of July 29, 1961. The view is north along Broad Street from the corner of Canal Street. Below, a teen dives off car into the water. (Photo courtesy of Dorn’s Classic Images)
By EVAN SOLTAS
Fifty years ago today, Red Bank was hit with the worst flood in borough history.
Over the course of several hours that Saturday morning and afternoon in 1961, 5.48 inches of rain fell, triggering the sort of flash flood that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says occurs, on average, once every 100 to to 200 years in the area.