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A Mild Start to the Year, Despite One Frigid Week: January 2013 Report

February 13, 2013 - 4:16pm -- Dave Robinson

Highway sign knocked over by the wind

By mid-winter standards, January 2013 was not an exceedingly memorable one in the New Jersey weather and climate annals. But like every month, there were certainly events worthy of mention. This included the state's coldest week since 2007 and a surge of warmth late in the month that was broken by a squall line with strong winds and heavy rain.

Statewide, the January temperature averaged 33.7°, which is 2.5° above average. This ranks as the 27th mildest January since 1895 (119 years). Of the past 24 months, only one (November 2012) has averaged below normal. Going back a bit further, since March 2010, 30 of the past 35 months have been above average, one month was exactly average, and four months were below average.

The first three weeks of the month were mostly on the mild side. On five of the first 20 days, one or more station topped out at 55° or higher.

Sandy Strikes: October 2012 Report

November 9, 2012 - 3:47pm -- Dave Robinson

Hurricane Sandy satellite image

Sandy, a category 1 hurricane as it approached the New Jersey coast during the daytime hours of the 29th and a post-tropical cyclone as it came ashore near Atlantic City (Atlantic County) that evening, dealt the state a punishing blow. It brought hurricane-force wind gusts to coastal and inland sections, close to a foot of rain in the far south, a state record low barometric pressure, and a record storm surge along the coast and in adjacent water bodies. Additional
information on Sandy can be found later in this report, and a more complete analysis will be provided on an upcoming website from the state climate office.

Statewide, the month averaged 57.1°, which is 2.3° above average. This ranks as the 20th warmest October since statewide records commenced in 1895. It marks the 21st consecutive month with temperatures equal to (June 2012) or warmer than (all other months since February 2011) average. The first ten months of this year have averaged 58.9°, or 3.1° above the 1981-2010 average. This keeps 2012 on pace to be the Garden State's warmest year on record (Table 1).

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