President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of New Jersey and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe storm and flooding from July 14 to July 15, 2023.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that disaster assistance will be available to supplement state recovery efforts in the areas affected by flooding during the warmer-than-normal July.
The National Weather Service said some of the thunderstorm cells moving over Sussex and Warren counties were generating wind gusts as high as 60 mph along with hail stones the size of a half-dollar — large enough to cause minor damage to vehicles.
The heavy rain, falling in areas of the state that had already saturated by recent rain showers and thunderstorms, triggered a flash flood in some areas of Morris County, Sussex County, and Warren County.
Federal authorities said funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storm and flooding in Warren County.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Robert Little III has been named Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further assessments.
The economic impact of volatile temperatures and extreme weather is becoming increasingly significant.
The year 2022 was another one of climate extremes, with record high temperatures and rising concentrations of greenhouse gases temperatures.
The planet continued its warming trend with last year ranking as the sixth-warmest year on record since 1880, according to an analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
It also marked the 46th consecutive year (since 1977) with global temperatures rising above the 20th-century average. The 10-warmest years on record have all occurred since 2010, with the last nine years (2014-2022) among the 10-warmest years.
NASA scientists conducted a separate but similar analysis, determining that 2022 ranked as Earth’s fifth-warmest year on record, tied with 2015. The European Commission’s Copernicus website ranked 2022 as the globe’s fifth-warmest year on record.
Nine of New Jersey’s 11 hottest Julys dating back to 1895 have occurred since 2010, and dramatic changes in weather conditions, such as increasing storm strength and more violent impacts are predictable consequences of global warming.
The global average temperature for July 2023 was confirmed to be the highest on record for any month. The month was 0.72°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average for July, and 0.33°C warmer than the previous warmest month, July 2019. The month is estimated to have been around 1.5°C warmer than the average for 1850-1900.
More than 6.5 billion people faced temperatures exacerbated by climate change.