Heat, Cumberland
- When
- July 12, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Cumberland forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.328, -75.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat in New Jersey, July 12 to 19, 1997
The longest and hottest heat wave of the summer of 1997 brought up to 8 straight days of high temperatures of 90 degrees or higher to interior sections of New Jersey and 6 straight days at and near the shore. It was the longest heat wave for central New Jersey since 1993.
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
- 25
- 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.
The longest and hottest heat wave of the summer of 1997 brought up to 8 straight days of high temperatures of 90 degrees or higher to interior sections of New Jersey and 6 straight days at and near the shore. It was the longest heat wave for central New Jersey since 1993. Along with the oppressive heat came high humidity levels and limited rainfall. The heat wave started to end after a strong cold front moved through the region early on the 19th. In spite of lowering humidity levels, high temperatures on the 19th still made it into the lower 90s across the far southern and southeastern part of the state. There were heat related illnesses reported in Camden and Morris Counties, and probably other heat related problems throughout the state. The most serious heat related illnesses occurred in Camden where three elderly men were hospitalized because of heat exhaustion. The hottest day for most areas was the 15th as high temperatures were in the mid 90s in the northwest and coastal parts of the state and around 100 degrees elsewhere. This was also the day that many utilities set new usage records. The Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM) reported a record usage of 49,822 megawatts in their regional serving area. This surpassed the previous record of 48,524 megawatts set on August 2, 1995. Other utility setting records included Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) with 9,612 megawatts (old record 9,470 megawatts set on 8/2/95) and GPU with 4,880 megawatts (old record 4,880 megawatts set on 8/9/95).The highest temperatures during this heat wave included 101 degrees in Belle Mead (Somerset County) and Wrightstown (Burlington County), 100 degrees in Freehold (Monmouth County) and Millville (Cumberland County), 99 degrees in Toms River (Ocean County), Iselin (Middlesex County) and Glassboro (Gloucester County), 98 degrees in Chatham (Morris County), Long Branch (Monmouth County), the Atlantic City International Airport and Flemington (Hunterdon County), 97 degrees in Somerdale (Camden County), 96 degrees at the Cape May Courthouse, 95 degrees in Stewartsville (Warren County) and 94 degrees in Sussex and the Atlantic City Marina. The lack of rain continued to stress crops and water supplies. It also put the New Jersey Forest Fire Service on a higher state of alert, especially between the Raritan and Mullica Rivers. In Morris County, 21 communities had mandatory or voluntary water restrictions in effect. The New Jersey American Water Company had mandatory restrictions in effect to all their customers in Morris, Somerset and Warren Counties. Water restrictions were also in effect in a few communities in Burlington and Middlesex Counties.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
20 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat, Salem
- When
- July 12, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Salem forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.577, -75.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Western Atlantic
- When
- July 12, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 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
- July 12, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Cape May forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Burlington
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Burlington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Camden
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Camden forecast zone
- Injuries
- 10 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 39.804, -74.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Gloucester
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Gloucester forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.717, -75.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Hunterdon
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Hunterdon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.567, -74.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Mercer
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Mercer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.283, -74.702 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Middlesex
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.440, -74.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Morris
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Morris forecast zone
- Injuries
- 15 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 40.862, -74.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Somerset
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Somerset forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.564, -74.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Sussex
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Sussex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.140, -74.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Warren
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Warren forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.857, -74.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Western Monmouth
- When
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 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
- July 13, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Ocean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Eastern Atlantic
- When
- July 14, 10:00 AM EST to July 19, 6:00 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
- July 14, 10:00 AM EST to July 19, 6:00 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
- July 14, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 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
- July 14, 10:00 AM EST to July 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern 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 Pennsylvania, July 12 to 18, 1997
- Lightning Strikes in Florida, July 12, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Florida, July 12, 1997
- Heat in Missouri, July 12 to 13, 1997
- Flash Flood in North Dakota, July 12, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, July 12, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Nebraska, July 12, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, July 12, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Florida, July 12, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Florida, July 12, 1997
- Heat in Maryland, July 12 to 19, 1997
- Heat in Delaware, July 12 to 19, 1997
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, July 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5614370, 5614380, 5614384, 5614385, 5614368, 5614369, 5614375, 5614376, 5614377, 5614378, 5614379, 5614381, 5614382, 5614383, 5614386, 5614387, 5614371, 5614372, 5614373, 5614374.