Heat, Burlington
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Burlington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat in New Jersey, August 16 to 17, 1997
The weekend of August 16th and 17th brought some of the hottest and most humid air of the summer into Central and Southern New Jersey. High temperatures in most places reached well into the 90s, while dew point temperatures (an indication of how humid the air mass is) were as high as the mid 70s.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 18 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
- 18
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.
The weekend of August 16th and 17th brought some of the hottest and most humid air of the summer into Central and Southern New Jersey. High temperatures in most places reached well into the 90s, while dew point temperatures (an indication of how humid the air mass is) were as high as the mid 70s. The apparent temperature or heat index on the 16th reached around 110 degrees. The highest temperatures this weekend (on Saturday the 16th for most locations) included 100 degrees in Brick (Ocean County), 99 degrees at the McGuire AFB (Burlington County), 97 degrees in Somerdale (Camden County) and also at the Marina in Atlantic City on the 17th which was a new record, 96 degrees at the Atlantic City International Airport (on the 16th which tied a record) and 95 degrees in New Brunswick (Middlesex County), Mount Holly (Burlington County) and Wertsville (Hunterdon County). The hot spell ended abruptly as a strong cold front moved through the region late on the 17th. No serious heat related illnesses were reported.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
18 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat, Camden
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Camden forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.804, -74.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Cumberland
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Cumberland forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.328, -75.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Eastern Atlantic
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Atlantic forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Eastern Cape May
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Cape May forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Eastern Monmouth
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Monmouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Eastern Ocean
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Ocean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Gloucester
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Gloucester forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.717, -75.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Hunterdon
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Hunterdon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.567, -74.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Mercer
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Mercer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.283, -74.702 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Middlesex
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.440, -74.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Morris
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Morris forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.862, -74.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Salem
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Salem forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.577, -75.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Somerset
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Somerset forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.564, -74.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Western Atlantic
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Atlantic forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Western Cape May
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Cape May forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Western Monmouth
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Monmouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Western Ocean
- When
- August 16, 9:00 AM EST to August 17, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Ocean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heat
- Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in Maryland, August 16 to 17, 1997
- Heat in Virginia, August 16 to 17, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, August 16, 1997
- Heat in District of Columbia, August 16 to 17, 1997
- Heat in Pennsylvania, August 16 to 17, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, August 16, 1997
- Damaging Winds in New York, August 16, 1997
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 16, 1997
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 16, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 16, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 16, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, August 16, 1997
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, August 1997
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5621604, 5621605, 5621606, 5621607, 5621608, 5621609, 5621610, 5621611, 5621612, 5621613, 5621614, 5621615, 5621616, 5621617, 5621618, 5621619, 5621620, 5621621.