Mother Nature had plenty of tricks up her sleeve this month and brought about a dynamic mix of weather across New Jersey in July. There was no shortage of things to talk about, including an oppressive and dangerous heat wave, rounds of severe weather, multiple flash flooding events, and a notable stretch of poor air quality stemming from wildfires burning in Canada.

Tragically, this July demonstrated how weather danger lurks across the Garden State during summer months. July thunderstorm winds felled trees that resulted in three fatalities, lightning strikes killed two and injured others, and flash flooding took two lives and put countless others in perilous situations. No doubt, the often-relentless heat and humidity led to medical issues for those most vulnerable, be they old, young, infirmed, employed outdoors, or living in stifling locations devoid of air conditioning.

Overview

Yet another warmer-than-normal July is in the books. Nine of New Jersey’s 11 hottest Julys dating back to 1895 have occurred since 2010 (Table 1). Unlike last year where the heat was accompanied by the 12th driest July, this year was a wet and humid one, the 22nd wettest on record. The statewide average temperature of 77.2° was 1.8° above the 1991–2020 normal and 3.3° above the 1895–2021 period-of-record mean, ranking 10th warmest on record (tied with 2016). The average high was 87.0°, 1.3° above normal and ranking 18th warmest.

Overview

Post-tropical storm Ida. The title of this month’s report speaks to this momentous weather extreme that will forever be the defining event of this month and likely the entire year. The storm delivered the most powerful tornado to strike the Garden State since 1990, demolishing multiple homes in Gloucester County. Rainfall exceeding 3.00” per hour led to the most widespread flash flood event on record for the state, resulting in the tragic deaths of 30 individuals in central and northeastern locales.

Overview

Post tropical storm Ida moved across the Garden State during the afternoon of September 1st into the early hours of the 2nd. It brought with it torrential rainfall, leading to flash and river flooding that took the lives of approximately 30 individuals and the rescue of countless more from raging waters. Additionally, it brought three tornadoes to southwestern and central areas, including the first EF-3 twister to strike New Jersey in 31 years. There were only minor injuries and no deaths from the tornadoes.

Ida’s Path