Top Ten New Jersey Weather and Climate Events of 2018
Dave Robinson

As 2018 draws to a close, here in the state climate office, we have evaluated the myriad of 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 ten events (with one other knocking on the door). While the record book hasn’t quite closed on the year, below is our near-final assessment. Look for a completed listing early in January, when the book is closed on totals and averages for 2018.

More about each event can be found in the monthly narratives posted on njclimate.org. 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.

  1. Wettest year on record
    1. Annual: As of December 29th, statewide annual precipitation is 63.25”. This is only 0.70” from the current wettest annual total of 63.95” in 2011. However, significant rainfall on December 28th, which averaged over an inch statewide, is certain to bump the annual precipitation total past 2011’s record, leaving 2018 on top as the wettest year on record. NJ’s statewide annual precipitation averages 46.36”.
    2. Seasonal: fall (Sep.–Nov.): wettest on record at 20.79” (+9.24”), surpassed previous record in 2006 by 2.79”.
    3. Monthly: 9 months above average; February 3rd wettest, September 8th wettest; November 2nd wettest.
  1. Numerous deluges
    1. 11 days with one or more station receiving 4.00” or more. Just one-day totals, not necessarily an entire storm event. Oftentimes, this rain fell in just hours (Table 1).
    2. Flash flooding from events in/near all locations, most notably Lakewood, Cedar Grove, and Woodbridge events.
Report Date Station County Rainfall Total
6/10 Fairfield Twp 4.9 NE (NJ-CD-8) Cumberland 4.52”
6/11 Mount Holly NWS Office (NWS Coop) Burlington 4.98”
7/18 Toms River Twp 2.8 SSE (NJ-OC-65) Ocean 4.34”
7/28 Woodbridge Twp 1.1 ESE (NJ-MD-43) Middlesex 5.57”
8/4 Hardyston Twp 3.2 SE (NJ-SS-7) Sussex 5.18”
8/11 Cedar Grove Twp 0.4 W (NJ-ES-24) Essex 5.81”
8/14 Lakewood Twp 2.3 NE (NJ-OC-37) Ocean 6.98”
9/13 Franklin Twp 3.9 NNW (NJ-SM-64) Somerset 5.12”
9/26 Palisades Park 0.2 WNW (NJ-BG-18) Bergen 5.56”
10/12 Southampton 1.6 SE (NJ-BT-68) Burlington 6.52”
11/25 Jackson Township 2.2 S (NJ-OC-53) Ocean 4.66”

Table 1. Top totals on days where more than 4.00” of rainfall was observed in NJ. All observations are from approximately 7AM to 7AM, with the report date the date on which the 24-hour report was measured. Information following most stations is the geographic distance (in miles) from the center of the community and the CoCoRaHS designation of the station.


  1. Top 15 warmth
    1. Annual: it looks as if 2019 will fall just outside of the top 10 warmest for annual temperature.
    2. Seasonal: 6th warmest summer (Jun.–Aug.).
    3. Monthly: 8 months above average; February 2nd warmest, May 4th warmest, August 2nd warmest, and September 3rd warmest.
  1. Snowy March
    1. Statewide: 16.6” snowfall, 4th snowiest.
    2. Regional: 26.4” in the north (Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Warren, Morris, Essex, and Hudson counties).
    3. Monthly station record: 44.3” Jefferson Township (Morris).
    4. Four snowstorms depositing as much as 16.5” in Branchville (Sussex) (2nd–3rd), 26.8” in Montville (Morris; 6th–7th), 7.5” at Highland Lakes (Sussex; 13th), and 15.0” in Lacey Township (Ocean; 20th–22nd).
  1. February warmer than March
    1. The statewide monthly average temperature of 39.5° in February 2018 exceeded the 2018 March average of 38.2°. It was the second mildest February, only exceeded by 2017.
    2. This was only the fourth time on record when March was colder than the previous February. This also occurred in 1984 and 1960, mainly due to cold Marches, and in 2017 and 2018 due to warm Februaries.
    3. The 21st was NJ’s warmest February day on record. Stations with records back well over 100 years set a new February standard, including Trenton (Mercer) at 78° and New Brunswick (Middlesex), where the 79° high exceeded the previous record of 77° established just last year on the 24th. The thermometer soared to 81° at Haworth (Bergen) and 80° at Newark (Essex), Oceanport (Monmouth), Wayne, and Jersey City (Hudson).
  1. November 15 snow event
    1. Snowfall exceeded 4.0” in 16 of the state’s 21 counties, with the largest total at Montague (Sussex), with 12.6”.
    2. Evening rush hour gridlock for hours.
    3. The storm alone made this the 6th snowiest November statewide, with 4.1”. The 7.4” in the north was 3rd most on record and snowiest since 1938.
  1. Cold and snow to start the year
    1. Carrying over from December 26, 2017, long-running National Weather Service Cooperative stations came close to record durations of subfreezing temperatures. Sussex (Sussex County) had 15 consecutive subfreezing days, which tied for the 7th longest streak. New Brunswick (Middlesex) had a streak of 14 days, the third longest streak. The Atlantic City Airport in Pomona (Atlantic) had a 12-day streak, the 4th longest run. More notable for duration rather than extreme.
    2. Amidst the cold, a blizzard struck on the 3rd–4th. Snowfall exceeded 10” at locations in the four coastal counties, accumulating to 15.5” in Ocean City (Cape May), 16.0” in Margate City (Atlantic), 19.5” at Brick (Ocean), and 18.0” at Long Branch (Monmouth). Wind gusts reached 65 mph at High Point Monument (Sussex) and 59 mph at Cape May (Cape May).
  1. Late spring green up; late fall leaf fall
    1. Persistent April chill delayed the green up of lawns and foliage, and the blossoming of spring flowers were delayed from normal by upwards of two weeks. Statewide, the April average temperature of 47.8° was 3.1° below normal, ranking as the 32nd coolest April since 1895 and the chilliest since 1982.
    2. Mild temperatures of September and early October significantly delayed the fall color season. Peak color was one to two weeks late, with most trees outside of the higher elevations still retaining the majority of their leaves at the end of October.
  1. Cold Thanksgiving and Black Friday
    1. The thermometer stayed below freezing during the daytime hours of Thanksgiving throughout the state. Wind chills were below zero.
    2. The morning of the 23rd saw lows of 3° at some northwest locations, with many locations in the single digits.
    3. The 9° minimum at New Brunswick (Middlesex) on the 23rd was the coldest for so early in the season (records back to 1912).
  1. Windy days (as of 12/29)
    1. Gusts of 50 mph or higher somewhere in NJ in nine months (not in Feb., Jun., or Sep.).
    2. 8 days with winds gusting above 60 mph at one or more NJWxNet or National Weather Service airport stations. Maximum 71 mph at Harvey Cedars on November 25th.
    3. 100 days with winds gusting to 40 mph or higher (2017 had 89). Of these, 25 had gusts of at least 50 mph (2017 had 34).
    4. Statewide, a number of especially windy days, including March 2nd, April 4th, May 15th, October 27th, and November 24th–25th.

Finally, had the list been a top 11!

  1. Coastal flooding
    1. Minor to moderate coastal flooding with beach erosion, road flooding and some structural damage occurred most notably on January 3rd–4th, March 2nd, March 12th–14th, March 20th–22nd, September 7th–10th, October 27th, and November 16th.
    2. The most substantial flooding of the year occurred on the morning of the 27th. The water level of 7.70’ in Atlantic City was the 13th highest in well over 75 years of record. The 8.77’ water level at Sandy Hook (Monmouth) was the 12th highest in over 75 years of record.