A Terrifying, Deadly Storm Struck New Jersey In 1962… And No One Saw It Coming

One of the many amazing things about New Jersey is that our weather is fairly mild. Sure, it can be unpredictable, with springtime blizzards and the occasional damaging storm, but we don't really need to worry about earthquakes, hurricanes or tornadoes... usually. Some parts of our state are still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, and we've had a handful of other deadly storms in our history. One of the worst in (fairly) recent memory is the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962.

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The devastating storm lasted from March 6-8 and, at the time, was one of the worst storms to ever hit the Mid-Atlantic states. To this day, it remains one of the 10 worst storms of the 20th century (in the U.S.) based on damage and death toll. Forty people were killed and over 1,000 were injured; the financial toll was in the hundreds of millions.

Ship Bottom, New Jersey

The storm wreaked havoc along the coast from North Carolina to Maine, caused record snowfall and freezing temperatures as far south as Florida and ravaged the Jersey Shore.

Inland Sand Deposits

Approximately 45,000 homes in the Garden State were either entirely or mostly destroyed. The Steel Pier in Atlantic City was severely damaged and six blocks of Avalon were completely wiped out.

USS Monssen (DD-798)

With tumultuous seas and wind speeds up to 50 knots, Naval Destroyer USS Monssen went aground at Beach Haven Inlet. The ship remained there for 6 weeks. Sand dunes were flattened and parts of LBI were completely cut through.

Severe Flooding

Though people were warned of an impending storm, no one was prepared for the duration. While hurricanes can be destructive, Nor'easters can last for days, and this one did - through 5 high tide cycles.

To give you an idea of the damage, here's a video from YouTube user Wes Johnson covering the aftermath in Margate, Atlantic City, Ventnor and Longport:

And another video by YouTube user shoredude101 shot by Dwight "Buz" Holzmer, focusing on North Cape May, Cape May Point and Cape May.

These images barely scratch the surface in terms of damage caused by the storm, which severely impacted Cape May County, Atlantic County, Ocean County and Monmouth County. Even Hudson County was affected by 40-foot waves on the Hudson River, according to the National Climatic Data Center. Do you have memories of the storm, or stories you've heard? Was your family personally impacted? With the amount of devastation, if you lived along New Jersey's shoreline, I wouldn't be surprised.