One of the most destructive coastal storms in state history began battering the Jersey Shore on March 5.
Trenton, NJ – March 5 marks the beginning of one of the most destructive storms ever recorded along the Jersey Shore, when the powerful Ash Wednesday Nor’easter of 1962 began pounding the Mid-Atlantic coastline and reshaping New Jersey’s barrier islands.
The massive storm system arrived on March 5 and lingered for several days, producing hurricane-force winds, towering waves, and catastrophic coastal flooding that devastated shoreline communities.
Key Points
• The historic Ash Wednesday Nor’easter began impacting New Jersey on March 5, 1962
• Barrier island communities suffered massive flooding, destruction, and erosion
• The disaster helped drive modern beach replenishment and dune protection programs
Storm devastates Jersey Shore communities
The multi-day nor’easter slammed the coast with relentless surf and storm tides, battering towns from Cape May to Long Beach Island.
Entire neighborhoods along barrier islands were damaged or destroyed as waves tore through dunes and flooded streets. Boardwalks were heavily damaged, and thousands of homes were left uninhabitable in the aftermath.
Residents described the storm as unlike anything many had ever experienced at the Jersey Shore.
A turning point for coastal protection
The scale of the destruction forced state and federal officials to reconsider how New Jersey protects its coastline.
In the years following the disaster, New Jersey expanded major beach replenishment and dune construction programs designed to protect coastal communities from storm surge and erosion.
Those projects later became central components of the state’s coastal defense strategy and played a role in protecting communities during modern storms, including Hurricane Sandy decades later.
For many longtime residents, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 remains one of the most memorable and destructive natural disasters in Jersey Shore history.