New Jersey’s Summer Was Among the Hottest on Record, and the Shore Felt Every Degree

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. – New Jersey residents who spent July watching thermometers climb toward 100 degrees now have the numbers to confirm what they already knew: summer 2026 was hot, and in parts of the state it was historically hot.

Final National Weather Service data for meteorological summer — June, July and August — shows temperatures generally finished about 1 to 2 degrees above normal across the region. Atlantic City International Airport recorded its fifth-warmest summer, while Atlantic City Marina finished with its fourth-warmest.

The Shore also got a very different summer depending on where the rain happened to fall. Atlantic City International Airport received almost exactly its normal rainfall, while the marina station finished nearly four inches below normal.

Then there was July.

Atlantic City Posts One of Its Hottest Summers

Atlantic City International Airport averaged 76.3 degrees for the three-month period, 1.9 degrees above its 1991-2020 normal of 74.4 degrees. That ranked as the fifth-warmest meteorological summer recorded at the station.

At Atlantic City Marina, the average was 75.1 degrees, 1.7 degrees above normal and good for fourth place historically.

The numbers were even more striking just across the Delaware River. Philadelphia averaged 78.8 degrees, 2.5 degrees above normal, making 2026 its third-warmest meteorological summer.

Trenton finished at 74.7 degrees, 0.8 degrees above normal.

The National Weather Service summed up the region by noting that temperatures were “largely about 1-2° above normal” and that many observing stations landed among their 10 warmest summers.

But a seasonal average doesn’t tell much of the story of what people actually experienced.

For that, look at early July.

The Fourth of July Heat Wave Became the Summer’s Defining Stretch

As the Independence Day weekend approached, New Jersey entered a prolonged period of dangerous heat.

On July 1, Gov. Mikie Sherrill called the approaching conditions “the worst we’ve seen in about 15 years” as heat index values were forecast to reach between 100 and 110 degrees. Shore News Network reported on Sherrill’s request that residents reduce electricity use as air conditioners strained to keep homes cool.

By July 3, forecasts called for actual temperatures above 100 degrees in parts of New Jersey, with heat index values potentially reaching 115.

The heat started changing everyday plans.

Monmouth County postponed its MonmouthNJ 250 concert featuring Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul because of the forecast. In Ocean County, Manchester Township opened a cooling shelter for residents who needed an air-conditioned place to escape the temperatures.

For people without reliable air conditioning, the heat wasn’t an inconvenience. It dictated where they could safely spend the afternoon.

Toms River took another emergency step, placing at least 13 homeless people into temporary motel rooms. Shore News Network reported that Mayor Daniel Rodrick used remaining federal funds to get people off the streets during the dangerous stretch.

And then the storms arrived.

Heat Was Followed by Massive Power Outages

Powerful thunderstorms tore through New Jersey on July 3 after a day of triple-digit heat.

At one point that evening, Shore News Network reported nearly 200,000 FirstEnergy customers without electricity. By the following morning, more than 150,000 JCP&L customers remained without service.

That meant thousands of households entered another dangerously hot day without air conditioning.

For some, the outage lasted far longer than a few hours. Five days after the storms, more than 7,300 JCP&L customers were still waiting for power to return.

The relief didn’t last long.

By July 15, another Extreme Heat Warning was in effect, with heat index values forecast as high as 107 degrees. Scattered outages were again appearing across Ocean County, including in Jackson, Toms River and Lavallette.

That cycle — heat, thunderstorms, outages, more heat — became part of the rhythm of the summer.

Residents Had Plenty to Say About the Heat

Social media filled with the kind of commentary that doesn’t show up in a climate table.

During the worst stretches, New Jersey residents posted dashboard temperature readings, complained about air conditioners struggling to keep up and compared backyard thermometer readings. Others talked about avoiding afternoon walks, keeping pets indoors and waiting until evening to tackle outdoor work.

“My car said 107. This is wild. Stay hydrated!” one New Jersey commenter wrote during the July heat.

Another summed up the abrupt arrival of the hottest weather as “100° bombs.”

At the Shore, the contrast could be bizarre. Air temperatures pushed into dangerous territory while coastal upwelling kept ocean water surprisingly cold in some places. Residents could walk across scorching sand and step into water hovering in the 60s.

The electric bill became another recurring complaint.

Shore News Network examined the pressure rising electricity costs put on families during the heat wave, when simply turning off the air conditioner was hardly a realistic option for seniors, young children or people with medical conditions.

By then, staying cool had become part weather story, part household-budget story.

Rainfall Told a Completely Different Story

The summer wasn’t uniformly dry or wet.

Atlantic City International Airport measured 12.52 inches of rain, just 0.12 inches below normal.

A relatively short distance away, Atlantic City Marina received only 7.20 inches — 3.91 inches below its seasonal average.

Trenton went the other direction with 15.66 inches, or 2.67 inches above normal. Philadelphia recorded 17.87 inches, more than five inches above normal.

That uneven distribution was visible at the Shore throughout July. One town could get hammered by a thunderstorm while another remained comparatively dry.

On July 6, torrential rain prompted a flash flood warning covering parts of Toms River, Brick, Lakewood and Jackson. Later that month, flooding became severe enough to force the Ocean County Fair to close early for the night.

So summer 2026 wasn’t simply hot and dry.

It was hotter than normal, punctuated by stretches of extreme heat, violent thunderstorms and highly localized downpours. At the Shore, the season brought triple-digit temperatures, cold ocean water, flooded roads, cooling shelters and nights when thousands of people were waiting for the electricity — and their air conditioning — to come back on.

The final weather numbers simply put statistics behind a summer New Jersey residents had already lived through.