Summer

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).

Scorching: June 2024 and January–June Recaps

July 7, 2024 - 2:17pm -- Dave Robinson

Photo of a rain shaft over lower Greenwood Lake (Passaic County) taken from Hewitt on June 7th (photo courtesy of Rich Stewart).

Above-average temperatures ruled in June. So, what else is new? As will be seen later in this report, the first half of 2024 ranked as the second warmest since statewide records commenced in 1895. June 2024 was also the 7th consecutive month with temperatures above the 1991–2020 average and 10th of the last 12 in that category. June itself came in as New Jersey’s 2nd warmest, tied with 1943 and just behind 2010. Six of the 11 warmest have occurred since 2005. The 73.6° average was 3.3° above normal. The average high of 85.1° was 4.1° above normal, tied for the 2nd warmest, and the average low of 62.0° was 2.4° above normal, ranking 4th warmest. Each of the three NOAA state climate divisions had their 2nd warmest June. The north averaged 71.7° (+3.1°), south 74.8° (+3.4°), and coast 73.8° (+3.3°).

As often occurs during the warm season, the rainfall pattern was a mixed bag as the month progressed and also across the state on any given day. Overall, the state experienced a dry month, with the majority of the state considered Abnormally Dry (D0) in the last US Drought Monitor assessment of the month. With some rain falling after the June 30th approximate 7–8 AM observing time of most National Weather Service Cooperative and Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) stations, any daytime or evening rain is entered into the record book as falling on July 1st. Thus, the official map below does not include some of the heavy post-observing time heavy rain in Cape May County the morning of the 30th nor rain occurring elsewhere in the state later in the day. For the month, the state average 2.74”, which is 1.56” below normal and ranks 28th driest. The north averaged 2.23” (-2.38”, 13th driest), south 3.07” (-1.07”, 49th driest), and coast 2.84” (-1.01”, 51st driest).

Is That All There Is?/Dodging Extremes, With a Few Exceptions: August/Summer 2023 Recaps

September 7, 2023 - 6:45pm -- Dave Robinson

The confluence of the Raritan and Millstone Rivers as seen from the Delaware-Raritan Canal Towpath in Franklin Township (Somerset County) on August 20th. Photo by Dave Robinson.

It is not as if August 2023 was devoid of strong thunderstorms that produced locally heavy rain and three minor tornadoes. There were also some hot and humid days and even a few days with smoke high aloft, a rather persistent feature of this summer’s weather (more on this in earlier June and July recaps and the summer summary later in this report). However, with temperatures a bit below normal and statewide rainfall leaning that way too, it just was not a particularly notable August in the weather/climate department. Mind you, most folks hardly complained of 90° maximum temperatures being rather scarce, there being no soaking tropical system, and, for the most part, fine weather for outdoor activities.

Statewide, the average temperature of 72.9° was 0.7° below the 1991–2020 normal. This ranked as the 48th warmest August of the past 129, but the coolest since 2017. Three of the past four months have been below normal, something not accomplished since January, March, and April 2018. The average high of 82.4° was 1.4° below normal, ranking 60th warmest. The low of 63.4° was 0.1° above normal, raking 31st warmest. The northern climate division averaged 70.7° (-1.2°, 53rd warmest), the southern division 74.2° (-0.4°, 46th warmest), and coastal division 74.5° (-0.2°, 38th warmest).

Precipitation averaged 4.03” across NJ, which is 0.54” below normal and ranks as 61st driest (68th wettest) since 1895. There was a north/south difference in rainfall, with the north averaging 5.02” (+0.46”, 41st wettest/89th driest), the south 3.45” (-1.12”, 49th driest/81st wettest), and coastal NJ 3.14” (-1.46”, 42nd driest/88th wettest).

Sultry: July 2023 Recap

August 7, 2023 - 5:22pm -- Dave Robinson

The aftermath of flash flooding in Warren County on July 16th as seen along Brass Castle Creek on Harmony Brass Castle Road by Hartsman Corner Road, Washington Township.

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. 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. The average low was 67.4°, 2.3° above normal and ranking 4th warmest. The northern climate division averaged 75.2° (+1.5°, 12th warmest), the southern division 78.5° (+2.0°, 10th), and the coast 78.3° (+2.1, 8th).

The 6.27” statewide average precipitation was 1.56” above normal to earn the 22nd wettest ranking. The northern division averaged 7.37” (+2.65”, 16th wettest), southern division 5.64” (+0.90”, 30th), and the coast 5.09” (+0.71”, 36th). The largest totals were found in Warren County and adjacent northwest counties, with some totals over a foot. The Pinelands region received the least, with totals of 2.50” to 3.50”.

Roasting: August 2022 Recap and Summer Overview

September 7, 2022 - 8:17pm -- Dave Robinson

The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (Morris County) on August 24th. While August 22nd rain proved beneficial, the water level is normally higher. Photo taken by D. Robinson.

Much like this past July, August was a hotter and drier month than normal. Despite a June with rather close-to-normal numbers, the two most recent months brought the summer temperature and precipitation to top-10 levels for hot and dry conditions. More on summer ’22 later in this report, but first to discuss is a record hot and quite dry August.

The August average temperature of 77.4° was 3.8° above the 1991–2020 normal, ranking as the hottest on record. Eight of the ten warmest Augusts since 1895 have occurred since 2001. The average maximum of 88.5° was 4.7° above normal, the hottest on record, while the average minimum of 66.2° was 2.9° above normal, tied for 5th warmest. North Jersey averaged 75.7° (+3.8°, warmest on record), the south 78.4° (+3.8°, warmest on record), and the coast 77.9° (+3.2°, 3rd warmest).

Statewide, August precipitation averaged 2.61”, which is 1.96” below normal, ranking as the 22nd driest. The north came in at 2.31” (-2.25”, 18th driest), south 2.82” (-1.75”, 29th driest), and coast 2.54” (-2.06”, 25th driest). As the map shows, virtually the entire state had a monthly total below the statewide 4.57” normal. Exceptions were found in isolated west central and central coastal areas where several storms quickly deposited hefty totals. Less than half the normal monthly rainfall fell in a good portion of the north and in scattered areas of the south and north coast.

Once Again Hot, and This Time Around, Dry: July 2022 Recap

August 6, 2022 - 11:14am -- Dave Robinson

Trees and grass impacted by excessively dry conditions on Livingston Campus at Rutgers University in Piscataway (Middlesex County). Photo taken by D. Robinson on August 1st.

When it comes to recent hot Julys in New Jersey, the beat goes on. This year the heat was joined by quite limited precipitation, something not often seen in recent years. The statewide average temperature of 78.1° was 2.7° above the 1991–2020 normal, ranking 6th warmest since records commenced in 1895. Eight of the ten warmest Julys have occurred since 2010, leaving only 1955 and 1999 as top-ten outliers. The statewide average maximum was 88.6° (+2.9°, 6th warmest) and the minimum 67.5° (+2.4°, 4th warmest). Northern counties averaged 75.9° (+2.2°, 9th warmest), southern counties 79.5° (+3.0°, 3rd warmest), and coastal areas 78.8° (+2.6°, tied as 4th warmest).

Statewide July precipitation averaged 2.19”, which is 2.52” below normal, ranking as the 13th driest on record. Of the top 15, only two have occurred this century. The north averaged 2.03” (-2.69”, 14th driest), south 2.30” (-2.44”, 14th driest), and coast 2.16” (-2.22”, 17th driest). The central portion of the state was driest, with less than 2.00” accumulating, and under an inch in the driest areas. Closer-to-normal totals were found in the northwest, northeast, and southwest. At month’s end, portions of central NJ were classified as being in moderate drought (D1) on the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map. This denotes conditions not seen more than once every five to ten years. Surrounding central and northern areas were considered abnormally dry (D0), as was the southeast corner of the state. This all coincides quite well with the most pronounced precipitation deficits of the past month.

Nondescript: June 2022 Recap

July 7, 2022 - 3:24pm -- Dave Robinson

Smoke billows from a large wildfire in the Wharton State Forest around June 20th. Photo from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

As reported multiple times during the first half of 2022, the day-to-day weather and overall climate of the Garden State have varied frequently, exhibiting lots of variability and never “locking” into a given pattern for an extended period of several weeks or longer. Such was the case this June, making it difficult to define any conditions that dominated. June was somewhat drier than average, but eight events brought over an inch of rain somewhere within the state. It was also dry enough at one point for a wildfire to scorch over 13,000 acres of the Pine Barrens. Low temperatures fell into the upper 30°s and low 40°s at multiple locations on the 20th, yet three days earlier, the majority of the state saw highs in the low to middle 90°s. “Non-descript” seems the best way to sum things up.

Statewide, rainfall averaged 3.44”. This is 0.86” below the 1991–2020 normal and ranks as the 61st driest of the 128 Junes since 1895. The north received 3.59” (-1.02”, 61st driest), the south 3.39” (-0.75”, 61st driest), and coast 2.90” (-0.95”, 54th driest). As the map shows, the far south was driest, continuing a pattern seen in recent months. The June 30th U.S. Drought Monitor map has the bulk of the southern area seen on the Figure 1 map receiving less than 4.00” for the month classified as “Abnormally Dry” (D0). This rating is also a function of both low streamflow and ground water levels. Further north, pockets of above-average rainfall surrounded a below-average central region that has yet to have prolonged enough water deficits to qualify for D0 status.

Sticky: August 2021 and Summer 2021 Recaps

September 10, 2021 - 6:30pm -- Dave Robinson

Flash flooding and residential evacuations in Helmetta on August 22

Whether the thermometer was reading high or low this August or whether rain was falling or not, one factor that most always had to be considered was the high level of humidity. The “Dog Days” of summer indeed. Of course, there was much else to consider this month, including contributions of rain from two tropical storms, one of which brought the largest crests on some rivers since May 1, 2014, 11 days where one or more locations received at least 2.00” of rain, and 16 days where the high temperature reached 90° or higher somewhere in the state.

Adding up all the rainfall, the statewide monthly average was 6.87”. This is 2.30” above the 1991–2020 normal and ranks as the 15th wettest August since 1895. The northern climate division led the way with 7.89” (+3.33”, 11th wettest), followed by the coastal area with 6.65” (+2.05”, 21st wettest), and the southern division at 6.21” (+1.64”, 27th wettest).

The statewide average temperature of 75.9° is 2.3° degrees above normal and ranks 4th warmest. Seven of the top 10 and 13 of the warmest 20 have occurred this century. The warmth was most strongly a function of elevated nighttime temperatures, which, for NJ, averaged 66.9°. This is 3.6° above normal and ranks 2nd warmest. The maximum temperature averaged 84.9°, some 1.1° above normal and ranks 18th warmest.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink: July 2021 Recap

August 5, 2021 - 7:55pm -- Dave Robinson

Tornado damage

Wow, what a month. July 2021 provided a never-ending cascade of weather events, including a tropical storm, a record-tying number of tornadoes, large hail, flash floods, hot days, chilly nights, smoke-filled skies, and on the last day of the month, perhaps the nicest day of the summer. The statewide average precipitation of 7.59” was 2.88” above the 1991–2020 normal and ranked 8th wettest of all Julys back to 1895. It was the wettest July since 1975 and second wettest in almost 50 years. The northern portion of the state averaged 8.16” which was 3.44” above normal. The south averaged 7.36” which was 2.62” above normal.

The average temperature of 75.8° was 0.4° above the 1991–2020 normal, but 1.9° above the 1895–2021 average. This ranked as the 24th warmest July since 1895. 13 of the 25 warmest Julys in the past 127 years have occurred since 2002. The nine July tornadoes is the most in a month since official records began in 1950. Tropical Storm Elsa was the earliest fifth storm of any season on record in the Atlantic basin. Read on for details on this potpourri of weather happenings.

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