NJ Hurricane History
HURRICANES have made landfall in New Jersey only twice in the past 200 years, but offshore storms have also wreaked havoc along the Shore.
Sept. 3, 1821
– Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane comes north from Cape Hatteras, striking near Cape May and moving north along the Shore.
Sept. 16, 1903
– Dubbed the Vagabond Hurricane by the Atlantic City Press, the storm rakes Atlantic City.
Storms passing close enough to do damage included:
Oct. 23, 1878
– The Great October Gale rakes southwestern New Jersey with hurricane-force winds.
Sept. 14, 1944
– Offshore winds up to 100 mph cause catastrophic damage to the shoreline.
Late September 1985
– Hurricane Gloria hovers off the East Coast and comes close enough to cause evacuations in Cape May County and close Atlantic City casinos before heading for Long Island, closing the New York Stock Exchange and the World Trade Center.
December 10, 1992
– The Great Nor’easter of 1992 did tremendous damage to New Jersey and hit New England hard, in addition to lashing the mid-Atlantic coast with winds and waves, and causing moderate flooding in Maryland in mid-December. The New York City area saw storm tides of up to 12 feet higher than normal. The tide rose to a record height of 10.3 feet above mean lower low water on the bay side of Sandy Hook, NJ, while the tide gage on the oceanfront at the Trump Pier in Atlantic City, NJ, rose to a record height of 9.3 feet above mean lower low water. The Reedy Point tide gage located in New Castle, DE, rose to a record height of 9.5 feet above mean lower low water. About 10 people had to be rescued, while this storm was responsible for 10 deaths and total damages were estimated to be around $2 billion.
Sept. 16-17, 1999
– Remnants of Hurricane Floyd deluge western New Jersey before heading toward Long Island and New England.
August 28, 2011
– Hurricane Irene makes landfall in New Jersey as a tropical storm. Originally, it was thought to have been to first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey since 1903, but post-analysis downgraded Irene to a tropical storm before making landfall. Numerous reports of major flooding, downed trees, and power outages were reported. The storm caused just the third ever shutdown of Atlantic City casinos and also prompted residents of coastal communities to evacuate in advance of the storm. The storm kills a total of ten people in the state.
Hurricane Survival Kit
- At least a 3-day and preferably a 7-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day)
- Non-perishable food
- Formula, diapers, and other baby supplies
- Manual can opener
- First aid kit
- Prescription and non-prescription medicines
- Toiletries
- Cell phones and battery-powered cell phone chargers
- Battery-powered radios and flashlights
- Plenty of batteries
- Extra cash
- Blankets, sleeping bags, books, and games (especially if evacuating)
