By Meteorologist Joe Martucci
Atlantic City International Airport and the Sen. Frank S. Farley State Marina in Atlantic City had their driest autumns on record, while Atlantic City’s weather just did something never seen before in its long history.
With the climatological autumn (September to November) in the rearview mirror, it was what we thought it would be – historically dry, the National Weather Service has now confirmed.
Atlantic City International Airport reported 2.94 inches of precipitation, beating (showing less precipitation than) the previous dry record of 3.34 inches, set in 2001. On the beachside, Atlantic City reported even less precipitation. The 2.19-inch mark was below the previous record of 2.89 inches set in 1941. The airport mark was 27% of the average climatological autumn precipitation. The marina was 20%.
It was more than just the driest climatological fall in Atlantic City, though. It was the lowest precipitation for any three-month period on record, ever. The previous record was 2.52 inches set back in 1895.
Beating any all-time record is impressive, but the one in Atlantic City is supremely impressive to me for two reasons.
First, written records at the marina stretch back to 1874. It is the third longest-running, continuously operating weather station in the United States. Only New York City and Charleston, S.C., have longer histories, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
https://wmo.int/activities/centennial-observing-stations/centennial-observing-stations
Therefore, beating any all-time record in Atlantic City is rarer than nearly any other location. The all-time record was broken by a pretty large margin – 0.32 inches.
Atlantic City International Airport and Atlantic City Marina are official weather stations, but local volunteers from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network also track rainfall. This fall was very dry along the South Jersey Shore counties, with 2.22 to 3.46 inches of rain recorded. An Egg Harbor City observer recorded the most, but it was still below average.
This dry weather has caused a deep drought that would need a very wet winter to recover from. However, based on the Winter Outlook, heavy precipitation is unlikely, with totals expected to be around average.
Even after the two widespread rains on Nov. 21-22 and Thanksgiving, we remain in “extreme” drought in the area. That’s the third stage out of four possible drought stages.
Learn about the Winter Outlook, Live!
Our final free, live, in-person winter weather forecast seminar will take place in Margate on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. at Margate’s Old City Hall on S. Washington Avenue. Come out for giveaways, a Q&A, and helpful emergency information from the Downbeach town’s leaders. Advance registration is appreciated. Follow this link to register: https://t.ly/mPsmc. You can also find the link on my social media pages.
Joe earned his Meteorology Degree from Rutgers University. He is approved by the American Meteorological Society as a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and Certified Digital Meteorologist, the only one in the state with both. He’s won 10 New Jersey Press Association Awards. You can find him on social media @joemartwx
