Heavy Rain, Sussex
- When
- December 12, 8:00 PM EST to December 14, 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Sussex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.140, -74.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 12 to 14, 1996
A slow moving low pressure system moved from the central Ohio Valley the morning of the 12th to Williamsburg, Virginia the morning of the 13th, to about 100 miles southeast of Atlantic City the morning of the 14th, then drifted southeast and was about 300 miles southeast of Atlantic City the morning of the 15th. This produced about 48 hours of continuous rain from the evening of the 12th through…
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 15 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 15
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
A slow moving low pressure system moved from the central Ohio Valley the morning of the 12th to Williamsburg, Virginia the morning of the 13th, to about 100 miles southeast of Atlantic City the morning of the 14th, then drifted southeast and was about 300 miles southeast of Atlantic City the morning of the 15th. This produced about 48 hours of continuous rain from the evening of the 12th through the evening of the 14th. Rain became heavy at times during the night of the 13th through the morning of the 14th. Rain mixed with snow at times during the morning of the 14th over some of the higher terrain of Northwest New Jersey. Accumulation averaged around two inches in Wantage, Newton and Vernon. Storm totals averaged between one and four inches with the lowest amounts in Sussex County and the highest amounts in the southwest part of the state. Since the rain was spread over an extended period of time, flooding was mainly confined to urban and poor drainage areas. Basement flooding did occur, with the highest reports in Burlington County. The heavy rain also damaged a bridge over the Cranbury Creek in Plainsboro (Middlesex County). Precipitation totals included 4.28 inches in Pennsauken (Camden County), 3.89 inches in Verga (Gloucester County), 2.61 inches in New Lisbon (Burlington County), 2.49 inches in Mount Holly (Burlington County), 2.00 inches in Estell Manor (Atlantic County), 1.93 inches in Belvidere (Warren County), 1.71 inches within Atlantic City, 1.58 inches in New Brunswick (Middlesex County) and 1.37 inches in Newton (Sussex County).
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
15 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Warren
- When
- December 12, 8:00 PM EST to December 14, 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Warren forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.857, -74.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Middlesex
- When
- December 12, 10:00 PM EST to December 14, 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.440, -74.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Salem
- When
- December 12, 10:00 PM EST to December 14, 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Salem forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.577, -75.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Gloucester
- When
- December 12, 10:00 PM EST to December 14, 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Gloucester forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.717, -75.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Burlington
- When
- December 12, 10:00 PM EST to December 14, 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Burlington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Western Monmouth
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Monmouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Eastern Monmouth
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Monmouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Western Ocean
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Ocean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Eastern Ocean
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Ocean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Western Atlantic
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Atlantic forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Eastern Atlantic
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Atlantic forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Cumberland
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Cumberland forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.328, -75.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Western Cape May
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Cape May forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Eastern Cape May
- When
- December 12, 11:00 PM EST to December 14, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Cape May forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Georgia, December 12, 1996
- Flood in Nevada, December 12, 1996
- Tornado in California, December 12, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, December 12, 1996
- Dense Fog in Iowa, December 12, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, December 12 to 14, 1996
- Hail in Alabama, December 12, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, December 12 to 13, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 12 to 14, 1996
- Flooding in California, December 12, 1996
- Hail in Arkansas, December 12, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Arkansas, December 12, 1996
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5576944, 5576945, 5576946, 5576956, 5576957, 5576958, 5576947, 5576948, 5576949, 5576950, 5576951, 5576952, 5576953, 5576954, 5576955.