Hurricanes and New Jersey
    The following are some of New Jersey's significant tropical cyclones:

1821        Sept. 3. The eye of the Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane tracked along what is
today the Garden State Parkway. Hurricane-force gusts caused widespread crop and property
losses in eastern New Jersey. Major damage at shore areas. One of the state's most destructive
hurricanes.

1878        The Great October Gale on the 23rd raked southwestern New Jersey with hurricane-
force winds. The oyster fleet and villages along the Delaware Bay were ravaged. At least 150
buildings unroofed in Camden. Many roofs were lost in Trenton and elsewhere in western New
Jersey.

1882        Remnants of two hurricanes produced disastrous flooding in northern sections of the
state. The first, on Sept. 11-12, dumped up to 10 inches of rain. The second, from Sept. 20-24,
dumped even more. September rainfall at Paterson totaled 25.98 inches, a state monthly record.

1889        From October 8-11, a minimal hurricane stalled and dissipated off the coast.
Tremendous damage along the Jersey shore. One of the state's most destructive coastal
storms. This event offers a cautionary lesson on the power of persistence from stalled or slow-
moving hurricanes (and nor'easters).

1903        A borderline tropical storm/hurricane on Sept. 16 made landfall near Atlantic City, the
only known tropical cyclone to make landfall in the Garden State. Gales and modest rain, as well
as scattered damage along the Jersey coast. A second, more potent, tropical cyclone stalled off
the coast from Oct. 8-11. It dumped more than a foot of rain in northern New Jersey causing
severe flooding, particularly in the Passaic and Delaware river valleys. Storm totals (Oct. 8-9)
included 15.00 inches of rain in Paterson, 11.58 inches in Newark and 10.00 inches in Perth
Amboy.

1925        Dec. 2-3. The latest hurricane on record to strike the United States (Dec.1) tracked
offshore. 64 mph wind at Atlantic City, with a gust of 70 mph. Gales driving long-continued rain
did modest damage along the  Jersey coast.

1933        The Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane passed well west of the state on August 23 but
heavy rain caused extensive flooding, particularly in northeastern New Jersey. Shore areas
received a battering from erosive, invasive, tides.

1934        Morro Castle Storm. On Sept. 8, gales and incessant rain from a tropical cyclone off
the coast hindered rescue operations of the burning ocean liner, Morro Castle. A total of 134
people died, many from drowning.

1936        On Sept. 18, a Category 2 hurricane passed about 50 miles off the southeastern New
Jersey coast. Hurricane-force gusts pounded Cape May. The Long Island, a fishing boat, sank
on the Delaware Bay with the loss of seven crew members.

1938        The Great New England Hurricane of Sept. 21 battered the Jersey shore with high
winds and ravaging surf. Torrential rain throughout the state caused widespread flooding. Gales
uprooted countless trees.

1939        A remnant tropical cyclone set the state 24-hour rainfall record at an official weather
station, 14.81 inches, on Aug. 19-20 at Tuckerton. Flooding caused a train wreck at Chatsworth,
about 20 miles away.

1940        A hurricane tracked about 150 miles offshore, stalling thunderstorms over western
New Jersey. 22.4 inches of rain fell on Ewan in about nine hours on Sept. 1, setting an
(unofficial) state 24-hour rainfall record. (Ewan is just 20 miles south of Philadelphia.)
Widespread dam failures, some creating a domino effect, added to the magnitude of the
disaster.

1944        The Great Atlantic Hurricane, a Category 3 storm, tracked about 40 miles offshore on
Sept. 14. Gusts of 80 to 100 mph blasted coastal areas. A series of huge storm waves,
estimated to be 30 to 50 feet high, caused catastrophic oceanfront damage within minutes along
nearly the entire length of the coast as the center of the storm advanced about 40 to 50 miles
offshore.

1954        Hurricane Hazel on Oct. 15. Although the center of the storm passed well west of the
state, gusts of hurricane force were widespread, especially in western sections. Millville reported
a state-high gust of 86 mph. Generally, less than an inch of rain.

1955        Hurricanes Connie and Diane, on Aug.12-13 and Aug. 18-19, respectively, dumped
heavy rain on the northern half of New Jersey. Record flooding occurred along the Delaware
River, with Diane ravaging northwestern sections.

1960        Hurricane Donna on Sept. 12 swept the Jersey shore with hurricane-force gusts and
churned up damaging surf. Gales throughout the state, with several inches of rain. Donna's 80-
mile-wide eye brushed the shore, providing a brief interlude and glimpse of the sun before high
winds returned.

1971        Tropical Storm Doria produced one of the state's memorable floods on Aug. 27-28.
Princeton collected 10.15 inches of rain. Severe flooding occurred in the Raritan River valley
and elsewhere in central and northern New Jersey. A tornado tracked intermittently about 25
miles from Cape May to Woodbine.

1976        Hurricane Belle raced ashore on Long Island during the late evening of August 9. The
eye tracked through eastern sections of the New York metropolitan area, coming within a few
miles of the city. It had sustained winds of 75 mph and a barometric pressure of 28.94 inches.
Much of eastern New Jersey had gusts of 50 to 65 mph and several inches of rain. Belle put on
a spectacular multi-colored lightning display in northeastern New Jersey.

1979        The remnants of Hurricane David spawned tornadoes in Cape May, Gloucester and
Salem counties on Sept. 5-6. David dumped 3-6 inches of rain on the state and had peak gusts
of 40 to 60 mph.

1985        Hurricane Gloria provided a scare on Sept. 27. Winds gusted to near hurricane force
in isolated shore locations and heavy rain was commonplace, but Gloria proved considerably
less destructive than expected.

1999        Hurricane Floyd on Sept. 16 dumped more than 8 inches of rain in 12 of New Jersey's
21 counties. Devastating flooding occurred along the Raritan and other rivers in central and
northern sections of the state. Thousands of residents were rendered homeless.

2004        Hurricanes Ivan (Sept. 17) and Jeanne (Sept. 28) brought heavy rain and significant
flooding, especially to the Delaware River Valley. The Delaware River reached its highest level
since August 1955.
New Jersey Weather Links

Office of the New Jersey state climatologist: http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim/

New Jersey Emergency Management: www.state.nj.us/njoem

Unisys offers maps of hurricane tracks beginning in 1851: http://weather.unisys.com

Abundant information on Philadelphia metro weather can be found at www.Phillyweather.net
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The Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 produced tsunami-like waves that devastated the Atlantic
City waterfront, including its famous Boardwalk.   (National Archives photographic collection)