Heavy Rain, Western Cape May
- When
- December 31, 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Western Cape May forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 31, 1996
According to state climatological records, the year 1996 was the wettest on record (1895-present) for New Jersey. 5 inches above normal.
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
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.
According to state climatological records, the year 1996 was the wettest on record (1895-present) for New Jersey. The state-wide average was 59.97 inches, about 14.5 inches above normal. The previous record was 58.85 inches set in 1975. Precipitation amounts on a county average ranged from 56.5 inches in Cumberland County to 65.3 inches in Morris County. The wettest county was Bergen where a county weighed average of 70.7 inches fell. It was the wettest year on record at Lambertville (Hunterdon County) as 69.82 inches of precipitation fell. It was also the wettest year on record in Philadelphia as 56.47 inches of precipitation fell. Other yearly totals included 64.53 inches in Mount Laurel (Burlington County), 63.21 inches in Mount Holly (Burlington County), 61.52 inches in New Brunswick (Middlesex County/3rd wettest), 60.53 inches in Newton (Sussex County), 57.58 inches in Glassboro (Gloucester County), 56.38 inches in Cape May (3rd wettest) and 50.46 inches at the Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona. On a county average, the yearly precipitation total ranged from 12 to 21 inches above normal (It was higher in Northeast New Jersey).
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
20 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Eastern Cape May
- When
- December 31, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Ocean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Sussex
- When
- December 31, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 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, 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Western Atlantic forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.469, -74.634 (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
- Winter Weather in New York, December 31, 1996
- Flash Flood in California, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 31, 1996
- Dense Fog in Florida, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1996
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 31, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 31, 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: 5576474, 5576475, 5576476, 5576477, 5577655, 5577656, 5577657, 5577658, 5577659, 5577660, 5577661, 5577662, 5577663, 5577664, 5577665, 5577666, 5577667, 5577668, 5577669, 5577670.