New Jersey heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 21 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,706 heat records in New Jersey from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 53 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 4, 1999 heat: 17 deaths and 160 injuries across 7 records. New Jersey ranks 12th of 51 states and territories by count and 1st of 50 per square mile.

Heat in New Jersey, 1996 to 2026

Heat 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: 1,7061996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 53average
Deaths: 41927 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: –as filed
Busiest year: 1998199 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 heat records common in New Jersey?

New Jersey averages about 53 heat records a year since 2000, 12th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1998 (199). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Jersey records 2320 heat records since 1996, 1st of 50 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 heat records?

Per square mile, Camden County leads New Jersey: 100 days with a heat record since 1996, 451.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Ocean County has the most heat records (159 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).

Camden County 451.7 (100)
Mercer County 409.8 (92)
Middlesex County 316.9 (100)
Somerset County 314.7 (95)
Gloucester County 304.3 (98)
Cape May County 294.2 (118)
Salem County 259.1 (86)
Monmouth County 224.3 (157)
Hunterdon County 187.0 (80)
Cumberland County 173.8 (84)
Ocean County 171.9 (159)
Morris County 164.8 (76)

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 heat season in New Jersey?

54% of its heat records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (619 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 97 · Feb 100 · Mar 80 · Apr 0 · May 39 · Jun 302 · Jul 619 · Aug 280 · Sep 29 · Oct 0 · Nov 60 · Dec 100 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in New Jersey?

New Jersey: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
1999-07-04	HeatMiddlesex County · forecast zone Middlesex One storm episode: 7 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A very strong and oppressive high pressure system that extended from the surface to aloft gave New Jersey a brutal heat wave that included the entire Independence Day weekend. There were seventeen heat related deaths and around 100 reported heat related injuries. High temperatures reached the 90s for the first time on ...	17	160	–
1999-07-04	HeatEssex County · forecast zone Essex One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. An extremely hot and humid airmass covered the region from July 4th through July 6th.On Sunday July 4th, temperatures soared into the mid and upper 90s. The combination of high temperatures and moderate humidity caused most heat indices to range from 100 to 105 degrees.On Monday July 5th, many new maximum temperature ...	10	0	–
2011-07-21	Excessive HeatBurlington County · forecast zone Northwestern Burlington One storm episode: 14 records in 11 places; the totals are the episode's. One of the most oppressive heat waves since mid July 1995 enveloped New Jersey from July 21st through the 24th. The heat was responsible for two deaths and hundreds of heat related injuries. Many locations had high temperatures that reached into the 100s. The most oppressive day was July 22nd when the combination of ...	2	350	–
2006-08-01	HeatEssex County · forecast zone Essex An oppressive air mass moved slowly east across the region. This was preceded by a hot dry air mass, when temperatures reached at least 90 degrees at Newark Liberty Airport, from July 27 to July 31.Excessive heat occurred mainly from noon to midnight each day for 3 consecutive days. High temperatures ranged from the ...	2	0	–
2005-07-18	HeatCape May County · forecast zone Western Cape May A hot and very humid air mass enveloped southern New Jersey on the 18th and 19th. High temperatures reached into the lower 90s, but dewpoint temperatures were in the mid 70s. The combination produced afternoon heat indices of between 100 and 105. In addition, the high dewpoints prevented temperatures from falling ...	2	0	–
2001-08-06	HeatBurlington County · forecast zone Burlington One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A ridge of high pressure both surface and aloft that was broiling the central part of the country moved east and covered New Jersey during the work week of August 6th. This brought a very oppressive hot spell to the region that peaked on the 9th. It brought the hottest August temperature ever recorded at the Atlantic ...	2	0	–
2008-06-07	Excessive HeatWarren County · forecast zone Warren One storm episode: 8 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. The most oppressive heat wave of the meteorological summer affected New Jersey from June 7th through the 10th. The combination of high temperatures well into the 90s to around 100 and dew point temperatures in the 70s produced apparent temperatures or heat indices values as high as around 100 in northern New Jersey ...	1	48	–
2012-05-29	HeatMercer County · forecast zone Mercer The first back-to-back 90 degree days in and around the Philadelphia area during 2012 occurred in late May. It resulted in one heat related death in Mercer County and precipitated the early dismissal of school children in Camden on Tuesday the 29th. In Mercer County, a 47-year-old male became ill from the heat while ...	1	0	–
2010-07-04	Excessive HeatPassaic County · forecast zone Eastern Passaic Hot temperatures in excess of 90 degrees began July 4th and continued through July 7th. The temperature eclipsed 100 degrees at several locations during this time.	1	0	–
1999-07-16	HeatMiddlesex County · forecast zone Middlesex Another strong and oppressive ridge of high pressure gave New Jersey four days of oppressive heat and humidity and five straight days with high temperatures in the 90s. There were two heat related deaths, one in Middlesex County and one in Essex County. Unlike the previous hot spell, onshore winds prevented most shore ...	1	0	–

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.

Are heat 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.

Heat: New Jersey and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	New Jersey	United States	New Jersey's share
1996-99	488	4,355	11.2%
2000s	620	9,163	6.8%
2010s	424	16,445	2.6%
2020-26	174	26,796	0.6%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in New Jersey

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Damage
2026-06-12	Excessive HeatBurlington County · forecast zone Northwestern Burlington	–
2026-06-12	Excessive HeatBurlington County · forecast zone Southeastern Burlington	–
2026-06-12	Excessive HeatOcean County · forecast zone Western Ocean	–
2026-06-11	Excessive HeatMonmouth County · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth	–
2026-06-11	Excessive HeatMonmouth County · forecast zone Western Monmouth	–
2026-06-11	Excessive HeatGloucester County · forecast zone Gloucester	–
2026-06-11	Excessive HeatCamden County · forecast zone Camden	–
2025-07-29	Excessive HeatOcean County · forecast zone Western Ocean	–
2025-07-29	Excessive HeatMonmouth County · forecast zone Western Monmouth	–
2025-07-29	Excessive HeatSomerset County · forecast zone Somerset	–
2025-07-29	Excessive HeatMorris County · forecast zone Morris	–
2025-07-29	Excessive HeatMiddlesex County · forecast zone Middlesex	–

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.