New Jersey rip currents and high surf
Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 14 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 476 rip current and surf records in New Jersey from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 18 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 15, 2017 rip current in Monmouth County: 4 deaths and 1 injury across 3 records. New Jersey ranks 4th of 34 states and territories by count and 2nd of 34 per square mile.
Rip currents and high surf in New Jersey, 1996 to 2026
Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 4761996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 18average
- Deaths
- 6796 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $63Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 200958 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are rip current and surf records common in New Jersey?
New Jersey averages about 18 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 4th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2009 (58). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Jersey records 647 rip current and surf records since 1996, 2nd of 34 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in New Jersey have the most rip current and surf records?
Per square mile, Cape May County leads New Jersey: 74 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 294.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Monmouth County has the most surf records (96 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the surf season in New Jersey?
New Jersey's rip current and surf records by month. The busiest month is February (111 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 50 · Feb 111 · Mar 29 · Apr 6 · May 10 · Jun 27 · Jul 23 · Aug 60 · Sep 67 · Oct 22 · Nov 21 · Dec 50 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest rip current and surf records in New Jersey?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-06-15 | Rip CurrentMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2017-06-15 to 2017-06-18; the totals are the episode's. Meteorological conditions were favorable for moderate to high rip current conditions from the 15th through the 18th. Unfortunately, four people died due to rip currents and one other person was injured. | 4 | 1 | – | |
| 2023-09-03 | Rip CurrentOcean County · forecast zone Eastern Ocean One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Breaking waves around 3 to 5 feet, multiple swell groups from offshore Hurricane Franklin and Idalia, and a dominant long period onshore swell resulted in dangerous rip currents at the New Jersey shore. A HIGH risk for rip currents was in effect. | 3 | 12 | – | |
| 2008-07-12 | Rip CurrentCape May County · forecast zone Eastern Cape May One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Enhanced rip currents caused by swells from Hurricane Bertha resulted in three deaths along the New Jersey coast on the weekend of July 12th and 13th. The rip currents and strong surf caused many water rescues and led to bathing restrictions. The highest surf was reported on Sunday the 13th as waves averaged 5 to 6 ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-08-29 | High SurfAtlantic County · forecast zone Eastern Atlantic One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Rough surf, associated with Hurricane Edouard affected the New Jersey Coast around the Labor Day Weekend and caused two drownings and one serious injury. A 71-year-old man drowned the afternoon of the 29th when his boat capsized in the Great Egg Harbor Inlet off of Longport. A 28-year-old man drowned on the 30th while ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-09-08 | Rip CurrentCape May County · forecast zone Eastern Cape May One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places, 2022-09-08 to 2022-09-10; the totals are the episode's. A prolonged period of onshore flow combined with 3-5 foot breaking waves resulted in dangerous rip currents developing over a 6 day stretch. Enhanced wave heights were due to Hurricane Earl passing well offshore. | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2012-06-20 | Rip CurrentMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. More frequent and stronger than average rip currents claimed the lives of two men and caused dozens of rescues along New Jersey beaches on the 20th. Both drownings occurred after lifeguards left for the day. In Asbury Park (Monmouth County), on the Second Avenue Beach, a 23-year-old male drowned late in the afternoon ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2012-05-29 | Rip CurrentMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth A 24-year-old man drowned after believed to have been caught in a rip current in Bradley Beach (Monmouth County) and was pronounced dead at 7 p.m. EDT on the 29th. He drowned while swimming south of a jetty in the waters off of Brinley Avenue Beach in Bradley Beach. Around the same time, four teenagers were also ... | 1 | 4 | – | |
| 2008-09-07 | Rip CurrentMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth Strong rip currents on September 7th claimed the life of a 38-year-old man and led to multiple rescues along Monmouth County beaches that day. A 38-year-old male was caught in a rip current off the Newark Avenue Beach in Spring Lake during the afternoon. He was pulled from the surf at the Washington Avenue Beach and ... | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2025-08-11 | Rip CurrentOcean County · forecast zone Eastern Ocean Seven swimmers were caught in a rip current at the Webster Avenue beach. Rescuers attempted to rescue all of the affected people. Six were rescued. Of those six, three had to be transported to a hospital to recover. The seventh individual was found partially submerged in the water. CPR was administered on the beach, ... | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2022-05-31 | Rip CurrentCape May County · forecast zone Eastern Cape May Time of event estimated from media reports. 19 Year old man died after he and 3 others encountered a rip current. Two others were rescued and one made it to the shore on his own. | 1 | 3 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest rip current and surf records in New Jersey
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-10-28 | Hurricane Sandy · High SurfAtlantic County · forecast zone Eastern Atlantic One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $51M | |
| 2009-11-11 | Tropical Depression Ida · High SurfAtlantic County · forecast zone Eastern Atlantic | 0 | 0 | $8.3M | |
| 2003-09-18 | High SurfCape May County · forecast zone Eastern Cape May One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $3.2M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in New Jersey?
New Jersey's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | New Jersey | United States | New Jersey's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 15 | 1,021 | 1.5% |
| 2000s | 218 | 4,386 | 5.0% |
| 2010s | 222 | 5,810 | 3.8% |
| 2020-26 | 21 | 2,346 | 0.9% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent rip current and surf records in New Jersey
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-02 | Rip CurrentOcean County · forecast zone Eastern Ocean | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-15 | Rip CurrentMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-08-11 | Rip CurrentOcean County · forecast zone Eastern Ocean | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2023-09-14 | High SurfMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2023-09-03 | Rip CurrentMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 2023-09-03 | Rip CurrentOcean County · forecast zone Eastern Ocean | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 2023-09-03 | Rip CurrentOcean County · forecast zone Eastern Ocean | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2023-06-09 | Rip CurrentMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-05-28 | Rip CurrentMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-09-10 | Rip CurrentOcean County · forecast zone Eastern Ocean | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-09-08 | Rip CurrentCape May County · forecast zone Eastern Cape May | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-06-13 | Rip CurrentOcean County · forecast zone Eastern Ocean | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for rip current and surf records in New Jersey
FEMA has declared 2 disasters in New Jersey for rip current and surf, counting its incident type and declarations that name the hazard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); one was a major disaster, the latest on March 3, 1998.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-03-03 | DR-1206 | Severe Winter Coastal Storm, High Winds, Flooding | 3 |
| 1974-12-24 | EM-3005 | Severe Storms, High Winds & High Tides | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Cape May County: the county's whole recordThe New Jersey county with the most rip current and surf records per square mile
- Rip currents and high surf across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in New JerseyTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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