High temperatures didn't crack the 100-degree mark, but last month was still among the hottest Julys ever recorded in the Garden State.
Remember all those brutal heat waves in July? The ones that had us all sweltering in the sun, dripping in the humidity and secretly wishing for an early autumn?
Well, they didn't break any temperature records or hot-day streaks in New Jersey, but they helped July 2016 become one of the state's 10 hottest Julys on record.
The average temperature across the entire state last month -- the mean between the average highs and average lows in each region -- was 77.2 degrees, according to New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers University. That's 2.2 degrees above normal for July and ranks as the 9th warmest July since reliable records started being kept in 1895.
Heavy rain floods Great Adventure
Three noteworthy tidbits about the July heat:
* Six of the 10 hottest Julys ever recorded in New Jersey all occurred during the past 11 years: 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016.
* Of all the years in the Top 10 for July warmth, 2016 is the only one that didn't have at least one weather observation station reach 100 degrees during the month, Robinson said. The mercury hit 99 in Newark on July 25 and topped out at 98 degrees at several other weather stations on July 23, including Hamilton, Jersey City and New Brunswick.
* Most regions of New Jersey had three separate heat waves last month (defined as three or more consecutive days with temperatures hitting 90 degrees or higher). The first heat wave lasted three days, from July 6 to July 8, the second lasted five days, from July 14 to July 18, and the third stretched eight days, from July 21 to July 28, according to climate data from the National Weather Service and the New Jersey Weather & Climate Network at Rutgers.
Drought watch in North Jersey
As for precipitation, New Jersey averaged 6.7 inches of rain in July 2016, which is 2.18 inches above average and ranks as the 15th wettest July since 1895, Robinson said. This was the wettest July since 2004 and the fourth wettest since 1975.
The wet July helped keep precipitation totals in the South Jersey region significantly above normal for the year. However, parts of North Jersey -- including the Newark area -- are almost 5 inches below normal for the year, according to weather service data.
Newark finished July with 6.08 inches of rain (1.32 inches above normal for the month), but has had only 22.88 inches of precipitation so far this year, which is 4.79 inches below normal.
In South Jersey, Atlantic City finished July with 8.83 inches of rain (5.1 inches above normal for the month) and now has 31.2 inches of precipitation so far this year, which is 7.1 inches above normal.
Last Thursday, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought watch for the northern half of New Jersey, urging residents to voluntarily conserve water. The watch covers Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.
Heavy rain that fell over several parts of the state this past weekend -- some areas received as much as 4 to 6 inches in several hours, causing flash flooding -- has helped the drought situation, "but we're still going to need more" rain to get all the reservoirs replenished, Larry Hanja, a spokesman for the DEP, said Tuesday morning.
"The northern part of the state, which is very dependent on reservoirs, has experienced some of the driest conditions in the state over the past several months. Conditions in other parts of the state, though not as severe, are showing signs of stress, and residents of these areas should also conserve water " said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin prior to the weekend storms.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.