New Jersey
Rain at New Jersey shore as rare as in the Mojave Desert this fall as drought worsens
The last time residents of shore needed an umbrella, President Joe Biden was still running for a second term and the Yankees, well the Yankees were looking like World Series Champions.
It was so long ago that visitors may mistake the Jersey Shore as the Mojave Desert since rainfall totals have been just as low here for this time of year.
“So far, September and October has been NJ’s driest two-month interval on record. The estimated 0.84” is well below the previous record low of 1.35” in December 1980-January 1981,” said David Robinson the state climatologist at Rutgers University.
The last known date that the Garden State saw rain was on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, and it was a moderate 0.36 inches of rain.
“New Jersey saw equal to or greater than a tenth of an inch of rain in the Atlantic City area,” said meterologist Paul Fitzsimmons of the National Weather Service.
For months the New Jersey forecast has been warm temperatures, sunny skies and no rain, but the consecutive days of dry weather are setting records.
September was the third driest month New Jersey has ever experienced. The rainfall totaled 0.83 inches statewide when normal is 4.16 inches.
The entire state is experiencing a water drought with Monmouth County classified as D1 for moderate drought and Ocean County classified as D2 for severe drought according to U.S. Drought Monitor.
“We owe this drought to an unusually persistent ridge of high pressure over the region back to late August which has produced clear skies and dry air,” said Robinson.
Over the past 90 days, the state has received below-normal levels of rainfall particularly in central and southern portions of the state, according to the National Weather Service.
“It has also deflected any low pressure systems with rain from advancing into the region. Not uncommon for a few weeks now and again, a two-month or longer such interval is quite unusual,” Robinson said.
How many days has New Jersey gone without rain?
Most records reports are between 25-35-day ranges, but some statistics may vary as locations in New Jersey might have picked up a hundredth or few hundredths of an inch in a scattered shower over the course of the past 30 or so days.
New Jersey driest month on record
The previous record was 0.25” in October 1963. The average October precipitation is 4.19”.
Robinson estimates that October 2024 will come in at 0.01”, since many locations did not receive measurable precipitation.
New Jersey drought streaks
- 1939, Nov. for 25 days
- 1941, Sept. to Oct. for 22 days
- 1949, May to June for 26 days
- 1991, Oct. to Nov. for 23 days
- 1995, Sept. for 24 days
New Jersey
Wrong-way driver charged in I-80 crash that injured N.J. State Police trooper
An alleged drunk, wrong-way driver was arrested following a crash on Interstate 80 in Warren County, officials said.
Robert Felegi was driving a pickup truck west in the eastbound lanes in Knowlton when he crashed head-on into a New Jersey State Trooper’s vehicle near milepost 1.4 around midnight Tuesday, State Police said.
The trooper had emergency lights and sirens activated while trying to alert motorists of a hazard ahead, authorities said.
The trooper suffered minor injuries, while Felegi was not hurt.
Felegi, 67, of Middleport, Pennsylvania, was charged with assault by auto and driving under the influence.
He was brought to the Warren County jail ahead of a detention hearing. An attorney for Felegi is not listed in court records.
investigation, and no additional information is available.
New Jersey
NJ casino workers continue push to end smoking loophole
TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) — New Jersey casino workers, who are pushing to permanently ban smoking in their workplaces, held a rally in Trenton on Monday.
A hearing was held to discuss a lawsuit that aims to close the smoking loophole in the Garden State.
For years, casino workers have been pursuing protections against secondhand smoke in their workplaces.
RELATED | Judge allows smoking to continue in Atlantic City casinos, dealing blow to workers
New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act largely bans indoor smoking, but casinos have a long-standing exemption.
The lawsuit filed last April by the United Auto Workers, which represents dealers at the Bally’s, Caesars and Tropicana casinos.
In August 2024, a judge ruled in favor of the casinos to allow smoking to continue.
“Casino workers are expected to clock in to work every day despite inevitably facing a toxic environment that could cause countless health issues, including cancer, heart disease, and asthma,” said Nancy Erika Smith, the lawyer representing Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) and the UAW on Monday.
“We’re asking the court to find the exemption in New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act unconstitutional and void it immediately. We hope this case will serve as a precedent for casinos across the country to close their smoking loopholes and stop poisoning their workers,” added Smith.
The casinos have warned that thousands of jobs and millions in gambling revenue and taxes could be lost if smoking was banned.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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New Jersey
11-Vehicle Crash Closes Turnpike, College Student Abducted: NJ Weekend
A teenager was shot to death in Jersey City, a woman was killed in a fiery crash with a dump truck in Ocean County, and a man is in critical condition after an SUV hit him in a Princeton crosswalk.
Here are the headlines from the weekend in New Jersey you may have missed.
Teen Shot Dead In Jersey City Apartment, Prosecutor Says
A 16-year-old boy was found shot to death in Jersey City on Friday night, prosecutors said.
Woman Killed In Fiery Head-On Dump Truck Crash In Ocean County
A woman was killed Friday when her van hit a dump truck head-on in Jackson and burst into flames, Jackson police said.
Evelin Villanueva-Detejeda, 43, of Perth Amboy, was killed in the crash that happened about 2 p.m. on Toms River Road (Route 571) near Osprey Place, Sgt. Edward Travisano said.
Six people sustained minor injuries in the collision late Friday afternoon, according to State Police Tpr. Christopher Postorino.
Read more: 11-Vehicle Crash, Overturned Truck Shut Down Turnpike In South Jersey: Police
NJ College Student Abducted From Campus, Sexually Assaulted By Armed Man, Police Say
A Union County man is facing a slew of charges after kidnapping a woman, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
Akram Elsayed, 28, of Roselle, has been arrested after an investigation found that he’d kidnapped a woman and handcuffed her to the door of a car, police said.
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