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Community Groups:
For Preparedness Info,
Call Your County OEM or 609-963-6964
- What to do NOW, before a Hurricane or Tropical Storm
strikes
- What to do when a storm is APPROACHING
- Pay Attention To Weather Forecasts
- Listen For Official Instructions
- While You Are Waiting to Receive Official Instructions
- Evacuation Orders : Mandatory vs. Voluntary
- What to do AFTER the storm passes
- Returning Home After The Storm
Track color-coded maps with New Jersey’s real-time NWS weather
forecasts, shore, tidal and river information:
Track current Tropical Storm and Hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean,
Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, with NWS/National Hurricane Center’s
Tropical
Prediction Center
Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or a local news source for
weather information and for instructions from public safety officials.
Remember: A battery-powered radio is a vital part of your Emergency
Supply Kit (pdf).
The key threats from an approaching Tropical Storm or Hurricane are WIND, STORM
SURGE, FLOODING, and the potential for TORNADOES.
- Hurricane WINDS can reach 74-95 mph for a Category 1
storm, to above 155 mph for a Category 5 storm.
- The STORM SURGE is a dome of ocean water the hurricane
pushes ahead of itself. At its peak a storm surge can be 25 feet
high and 50-100 miles wide. The storm surge can devastate coastal
communities as it sweeps ashore.
- The thunderstorms and torrential rains that accompany a hurricane
can create dangerous and deadly FLOODS or FLASHFLOODS.
- Seventy percent of hurricanes making landfall spawn at least
one TORNADO.
Hurricane season normally runs from June 1 through November
30 – or even beyond, as the world saw during the record-setting
2005 season. The peak potential for Hurricane and Tropical Storm
activity in New Jersey runs from mid-August through the end
of October.
The combination of warm ocean water, humid air and consistent
winds contributes to the formation of “tropical
cyclones” – low-pressure systems of circulating
winds, clouds and thunderstorms – over the Atlantic
Ocean , Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico .
As they gain strength, these cyclones are classified as Tropical
Depressions, Tropical Storms or Hurricanes.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale rates
Hurricane strengths, from Category 1 to Category 5.
Most of these storms remain over the ocean without affecting
the U.S. coastline.
When they approach land, Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
can be extremely deadly and destructive – even
as far north as New Jersey , and even when they do not make
landfall here. For example:
- Hurricane Ivan made landfall on the barrier islands
of Alabama on September 16, 2004 . The storm
was downgraded to Tropical Depression Ivan by the
time it reached the Delmarva Peninsula and caused up to six
inches of rain in parts of New Jersey . Ivan caused significant
property damage in communities along the Delaware River
.
- Hurricane Isabel made landfall on the Outer Banks
of North Carolina on September 18, 2003 . Isabel
produced stormsurges of 2-4 feet above normal
tide levels along Maryland , Delaware and New Jersey
shorelines. Of the 16 deaths directly attributed
to Isabel, one was in New Jersey . Isabel
caused significant property damage in Central New
Jersey .
- Tropical Storm Floyd skirted the New Jersey Coast on September
16, 1999 . The storm deluged the Garden State with up to 14
inches of rain. Of the 57 deaths directly attributed
to Floyd, six were in New Jersey . Floyd caused widespread
property damage across the entire Garden State .
Follow these Links for
much more information on preparedness and on the science
of Hurricanes, Tropical Storms and Tropical Depressions.
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