Severe storms usually do not strike our region, but some have come close. Since record keeping began in 1886, the only hurricane to make direct landfall in New Jersey occurred on September 16, 1903, and its sustained winds were only 3 miles per hour (mph) more than the 74 mph minimum to be classified as a hurricane.
The Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern and Gulf of Mexico portion of the United States experienced 1,092
tropical storms from 1886 to 2006, but only 39 passed within 75 nautical miles of Atlantic City, and only 13 of those had sustained hurricane-force winds. The distance from Atlantic City is important because hurricane-force winds can be expected within 75 nautical miles of the center of a hurricane.
Historically most hurricanes have veered away from New Jersey. The state is surrounded by deep water that is below 80 degrees Fahrenheit which limits the intensity of a hurricane, it has a westerly air stream which tends to push approaching hurricanes out to sea, and its 123-mile coastline is aligned on a north-south axis which makes it less vulnerable to northeasterly hurricanes.
However, the Atlantic Ocean experiences multi-decadal hurricane cycles caused by long-term shifting of ocean salinity. Scientists have determined that as of 2007, the Atlantic basin is in the middle of an active hurricane cycle that is expected to continue for another decade or longer.*
If your home was in the path of a hurricane, or even a tropical storm or nor'easter which can be just as damaging, would you be prepared?
*Source: Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
