New Jersey, 1996

Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 31, 1996

December 31, 1996 · NWS PHI · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

December 1996 was the wettest December on record (1895-present) for New Jersey. 29 inches set in 1973.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

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.

December 1996 was the wettest December on record (1895-present) for New Jersey. The statewide average of 7.9 inches surpassed the previous record of 7.29 inches set in 1973. Precipitation amounts ranged from about 3.5 inches above normal in Middlesex County to 5.7 inches above normal in Warren County. A new December precipitation record was set at nearby Philadelphia International Airport where 8.48 inches fell. December 1996 was the second wettest on record at the Atlantic City International Airport (in Pomona) where 7.23 inches of precipitation fell. December 1996 was the 8th wettest on record at the Marina in Atlantic City as 6.87 inches of rain fell. County average rainfall totals ranged from 7.4 inches in Middlesex County to 9.2 inches in Hunterdon, Morris and Warren Counties.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Sussex

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Sussex forecast zone
Coordinates
41.140, -74.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Warren

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Coordinates
40.857, -74.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Morris

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Morris forecast zone
Coordinates
40.862, -74.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Hunterdon

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Hunterdon forecast zone
Coordinates
40.567, -74.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Somerset

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Somerset forecast zone
Coordinates
40.564, -74.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Middlesex

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Middlesex forecast zone
Coordinates
40.440, -74.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Western Monmouth

When
December 31, 11:58 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 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Eastern Monmouth forecast zone
Coordinates
40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Mercer

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Mercer forecast zone
Coordinates
40.283, -74.702 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Salem

When
December 31, 11:58 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 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Gloucester forecast zone
Coordinates
39.717, -75.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Camden

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Camden forecast zone
Coordinates
39.804, -74.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Northwestern Burlington

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Northwestern Burlington forecast zone
Coordinates
39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Western Ocean

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Western Ocean forecast zone
Coordinates
39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Cumberland

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Cumberland forecast zone
Coordinates
39.328, -75.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Western Atlantic

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Western Atlantic forecast zone
Coordinates
39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Western Cape May

When
December 31, 11:58 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 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Eastern Cape May forecast zone
Coordinates
39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Eastern Atlantic

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Eastern Atlantic forecast zone
Coordinates
39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Eastern Ocean

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Eastern Ocean forecast zone
Coordinates
39.866, -74.250 (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

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5577616, 5577617, 5577618, 5577619, 5577620, 5577621, 5577622, 5577623, 5577624, 5577625, 5577626, 5577627, 5577628, 5577629, 5577630, 5577631, 5577632, 5577633, 5577634, 5577635.