Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Forked River, NJ

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Toms River, NJ, 7 miles north of Forked River at 10 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 22°F. December is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 52.0 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 52.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 57 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 4.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 116 nights a year. That 52.0 inches is more than at 47 of the 51 New Jersey stations used on this site (92%). Barnegat, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Brant Beach-Beach Haven, NJ): 41.0 inches a year, 11.0 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 159 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Forked River: 111 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 15 lightning strikes, 14 heavy rain events and 3 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 78 mph, on April 16, 1996. July has had the most flash floods, 11 of 16. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 46 have had fewer than Forked River.

Flood insurance policyholders in Forked River's ZIP code 08731 have filed 1,522 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $34.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Sandy in 2012: 1,001 claims (66% of all) and $30.0 million, then December Storm - Nor'easter in 1992 with 123 and The "Halloween" Storm in 1991 with 50. 84% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 395 New Jersey cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 362 have fewer than Forked River.