New Jersey has transitioned into a worrisome drought situation following historically low October precipitation. So, too, was the September–October combined total a record low. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection issued a Drought Watch on October 17th, serving as a “heads up” that the state had been exceedingly dry for weeks. This continued through the end of the month, one in which, averaged statewide, precipitation totaled only 0.02”. This was 4.17” below the 1991–2020 normal and surpassed October 1963 as the driest October on record. Many gauges failed to collect any measurable precipitation and those that did, at best, saw no more than about 0.10”. The northern climate division averaged 0.03” (-4.42”, driest), southern division 0.01” (-4.02, driest), and coast 0.02” (-4.07”, driest).

This was not a record low precipitation just for October, rather for any month. Seven of the ten driest months since 1895 have occurred in the fall. When warm season showers and possible late-season tropical systems fail to deliver rain to the Garden State, and early cold-season low pressure systems fail to arrive, extended dry spells may occur. Still, runs of 30 or more days without measurable precipitation are quite rare. Dry streaks at some stations were continuing into November as of the report publication date (November 8th).

October precipitation futility in conjunction with the third driest September on record resulted in the driest of any pairing of consecutive months on record. The 0.80” total was 0.55” lower than the previous record in December 1980–January 1981. The southern half of the state was drier than the north, though both were woefully dry.

Click here to see the distribution of the top 5 NJ warm/cold and wet/dry months since 1895