Top Ten

Split Precipitation Personality: August and Summer 2024 Recaps

September 6, 2024 - 5:57pm -- Dave Robinson

Low-lying fog blankets a farm field in Sparta Township (Sussex County) on the morning of August 16th (photo courtesy of Nick Stefano).

While it is exceedingly rare to see monthly or seasonal temperature departures from normal differ in sign or even notable magnitude between southern and northern portions of New Jersey, such is not always the case for precipitation. This August and summer as a whole exemplify such disparities. While rain was often plentiful in the north, more often than not, the south did not see gauges fill as much or as often. This report will first address August conditions in the Garden State, finishing with a recap of climatological summer (June–August).

August precipitation averaged 6.52” across NJ. This is 1.95” above the 1991–2020 normal and ranks as the 22nd wettest August since records commenced in 1895. The northern climate division (Hunterdon-Somerset-Union and all counties to their north) averaged 8.53”. This is 3.97” above normal and ranks as the 10th wettest. The southern division (Mercer-Middlesex-Monmouth and all but immediate coastal areas to the south) came in at 5.39”. This is 0.82” above normal and ranks 41st wettest of the past 130 Augusts. The coastal division averaged 4.37”, which is 0.23” below normal and ranks 60th wettest (71st driest).

Despite wide-ranging weekly differences, statewide August temperatures were just 0.3° above normal, averaging 73.9°. This ranks as the 30th warmest back to 1895, certainly not near a ranking close to the mid-point of the entire period of record, thus exemplifying how much NJ has warmed over recent decades. The north averaged 72.2° (+0.3°, 28th warmest), the south 75.0° (+0.4°, 30th warmest), and the coast 75.0° (+0.3°, 25th warmest).

Frying Pan Persistence: July 2024 Recap

August 12, 2024 - 4:57pm -- Dave Robinson

A smoke plume from the early July Tea Time Hill fire in Wharton State Forest (photo courtesy of the NJ Forest Fire Service).

Yet another warmer-than-normal July is in the books. This first sentence is just how last July’s report began. With a statewide average temperature of 77.9°, July 2024 ranked as the 7th warmest since records commenced in 1895. It was 2.5° above the 1991–2010 normal. The average high of 87.8° was 2.1° above normal, ranking 10th warmest. The average low of 68.0° was 2.9° above normal, ranking 3rd warmest. Eight of the ten warmest Julys have occurred since 2010 and ten of fifteen since 1999. Only three Julys in the past 25 years have averaged below the 1991–2010 normal. The June-July average of 75.8° is the second warmest, only exceeded by 76.1° in 2010. The year-to-date average through July of 55.2° also ranks second warmest following 55.7° in 2012. Within the northern climate division, the average was 76.6° (+2.9°, 4th warmest), southern 78.8° (+2.3°, 9th warmest), and coastal 77.7° (+1.5°, 12th warmest). Summing things up, this month’s report title seemed an appropriate choice.

The 4.01” statewide average July precipitation was 0.70” below normal, ranking 52nd driest of the past 130 Julys. The north averaged 4.36” (-0.36’, 59th driest), south 3.77” (-0.97”, 51st driest), and coast 4.12” (-0.26”, 63rd driest).

ONJSC's Top 10 NJ Weather and Climate Events of 2023

January 2, 2024 - 3:06pm -- Dave Robinson

Wildfire smoke blankets downtown Paterson (Passaic County) on June 7th. Photo by Steve Hockstein/NJ Advance Media.

For the 15th consecutive year, we in the state climate office have evaluated the myriad daily, monthly, and annual observations gathered across New Jersey during the course of the year to choose what we feel were the most significant and impactful 10 weather and climate events of 2023. More about each event can be found in the monthly narratives posted on our website. You might be tempted to rearrange the rankings, particularly as some of the events on the list may have affected you more than others ranked higher. Or perhaps you best recall one that didn't make the list. That's the enjoyment and frustration of lists! Unless stated otherwise, statewide values are based on an average of several dozen stations. The period of record for monthly, seasonal, and annual departures is 1991–2020; while for extremes and rankings it is from 1895–present. Observations are mainly drawn from National Weather Service Cooperative Observing Program stations, Rutgers NJ Weather Network stations, and NJ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network locations.

ONJSC's Top 10 NJ Weather and Climate Events of 2022

January 3, 2023 - 7:14pm -- Dave Robinson

Trees and grass impacted by excessively dry conditions on Livingston Campus at Rutgers University in Piscataway (Middlesex County), as the summer drought ranked as the #1 most impactful weather/climate events of 2022 . Photo taken by D. Robinson on August 1st, 2022.

For the 14th consecutive year, we in the state climate office have evaluated the myriad daily, monthly, and annual observations gathered across New Jersey during the course of the year to choose what we feel were the most significant and impactful 10 weather and climate events of 2022. More about each event can be found in the monthly narratives posted on our website. You might be tempted to rearrange the rankings, particularly as some of the events on the list may have affected you more than others ranked higher. Or perhaps you best recall one that didn't make the list. That's the enjoyment and frustration of lists! Unless stated otherwise, statewide values are based on an average of several dozen stations. The period of record for monthly, seasonal, and annual departures is 1991–2020; while for extremes and rankings it is from 1895–present. Observations are mainly drawn from National Weather Service Cooperative Observing Program stations, Rutgers NJ Weather Network stations, and NJ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network locations.

ONJSC's Top 10 NJ Weather and Climate Events of 2021

January 3, 2022 - 7:18pm -- Dave Robinson

A flooded TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater (Somerset County) on September 2nd following the staggering rainfall caused by the remnants of Ida. Photo by Thomas P. Costello and Tariq Zehawi/USA Today Network.

For the 13th consecutive year, we in the state climate office have evaluated the myriad daily, monthly, and annual observations gathered across New Jersey during the course of the year to choose what we feel were the most significant and impactful 10 weather and climate events of 2021. More about each event can be found in the monthly narratives and the special Post-tropical Cyclone Ida report posted on our website. You might be tempted to rearrange the rankings, particularly as some of the events on the list may have affected you more than others ranked higher. Or perhaps you best recall one that didn't make the list. That's the enjoyment and frustration of lists! Unless stated otherwise, statewide values are based on an average of several dozen stations. The period of record for monthly, seasonal, and annual departures is 1991–2020; while for extremes and rankings it is from 1895–present. Observations are mainly drawn from National Weather Service Cooperative Observing Program stations, Rutgers NJ Weather Network stations, and NJ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network locations.

ONJSC's Top 10 NJ Weather and Climate Events of 2020

January 2, 2021 - 12:51pm -- Dave Robinson

Time series of July average temperatures in NJ from 1895 through 2020

For the 12th consecutive year, we in the state climate office have evaluated the myriad daily, monthly, and annual observations gathered across New Jersey during the course of the year to choose what we feel were the most significant and impactful 10 weather and climate events. More about each event can be found in the monthly narratives posted on our website. You might be tempted to rearrange the rankings, particularly as some of the events on the list may have affected you more than others ranked higher. Or perhaps you best recall one that didn't make the list. That's the enjoyment and frustration of lists! Unless stated otherwise, statewide values are based on an average of several dozen stations. The period of record for monthly, seasonal, and annual departures is 1981–2010; while for extremes and rankings it is from 1895–present. Observations are mainly drawn from National Weather Service Cooperative Observing Program stations, Rutgers NJ Weather Network stations, and NJ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network locations.

The Heat Goes On: November & Fall 2020 Recaps

December 7, 2020 - 8:43pm -- Dave Robinson

CoCoRaHS rain gauge

November 2020 enters the New Jersey climate record book as the third warmest (tied with 2009). The statewide mean of 49.2° was 4.0° above the 1981–2010 normal. This month joins six Novembers from this century among the seven warmest of the past 126 years. Six of the past 12 months have ranked in the top nine for warmth. Of the first 11 months of 2020, only April and May averaged below normal. The average temperature for the first 11 months is 57.1°. This is 2.7° above normal and ranks as the second warmest such interval. Only 2012 was warmer, with both years likely to retain this ranking for the calendar year unless an extremely cold or warm December occurs, which, as this report is written, appears unlikely.

Statewide precipitation total for November was 3.91”. This was 0.30” above the 1981–2010 normal and ranks as the 43rd wettest of the past 126 years. The southern half of the state was on the wetter side of normal while the north on the dry side. This was seen in the divisional numbers that had the south come in with 4.43”, which is 0.98” above average 33rd wettest, while the north averaged 3.09”, which is 0.77” below average and ranks 78th wettest (49th driest).

Winter Arrives Up North, Not So Much in the South, and Another Mild and Wet Year: December and 2019 Annual Recaps, Including Top 10 Events

January 7, 2020 - 5:22pm -- Dave Robinson

Freezing rain photo

There were multiple faces to December weather around the Garden State. Regionally, the north received above-average snowfall, several episodes of freezing rain, and over two weeks of snow cover, particularly at higher elevations. Central and southern areas saw less snow than average and temperatures a little milder than normal compared to up north. There was also a notable difference between the first and second halves of the month, with the first being stormy and the second having just one storm.

Despite a wintry start to the month, the statewide average temperature of 36.3° was 1.1° above the 1981–2010 normal and ranks as the 29th mildest since 1895 (tied with 2016). The north portion of the state averaged 33.1° (+0.4°), the south 38.2° (+1.6°), and the coast 39.4° (+1.7°). Despite a rather dry second half, the 5.56” of rain and melted snowfall averaged across the state was 1.71” above average, ranking as the 19th wettest (tied with 2012). The coast was wettest, averaging 6.09” (+2.33”), followed by the south with 5.60” (+1.81”), and then the north with 5.44” (+1.49”). Snowfall averaged 3.2”, which was 1.6” below average. The north came in with 8.0”, or 1.4” more than average, while the central area had 3.4” (-2.0”) and the south 0.5” (-3.1”).

NJ Warming Knows All Seasons

May 24, 2019 - 2:28pm -- Dave Robinson

Monthly Temperature Departures, Jan 2018-Apr 2019

So often over the past roughly year and a half, I have been writing about statewide monthly temperatures being among the warmest on record. In fact, February, May, August, and September 2018, as well as April 2019, have ranked as 2nd, 4th, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th warmest, respectively, since statewide averages began being generated in 1895. Throughout this century, this has so often been the case that, seemingly, it is almost expected each month. Not necessarily a top 5 ranking, but often in the top 20.

This got me wondering whether I was exaggerating the warmth since 2000. Thus an evaluation of rankings was performed for each month and for the year as a whole. This included generating counts of the warmest top 10 and top 20 warmest months since 1895 that have occurred from January 2000 through April 2019.

A Fitting Finale: December 2018 Recap and Annual Summary, including the Top 10 Events of 2018

January 7, 2019 - 1:58pm -- Dave Robinson

Rainy street

It is appropriate that the weather of last month of 2018 was rather similar to many earlier months in the year. Statewide, precipitation was above average for the 10th month of 2018 and the temperature was above average for the 8th month. This resulted in the year being the wettest on record and the 11th warmest since statewide observations began being calculated in 1895.

December precipitation totaled 5.38”. This is 1.53” above the 1981–2010 average and ranks as the 20th wettest (tied with 2007). Snowfall averaged 1.0”, which is 3.9” below average and the 31st least snowy December since 1895. The only notable snowfall was across a swath of south Jersey on the 5th, leading to a south Jersey monthly average of 1.7”. This is 1.9” below average and ranks as the 55th least snowy December. Northern counties averaged 0.6” for the month, some 6.0” below average and ranking 19th least snowy. Central counties came in without any measurable snowfall. This is 5.5” below average and joins ten other Decembers of the past 124 years without measurable snow, four of which have been this century (2001, 2006, 2011, and 2015).

The average statewide temperature was 37.5°. This is 2.3° above the 1981–2010 average and ranks as the 18th mildest December of the past 124 years (tied with 1972 and 1991).

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Top Ten