The following passage will describe New Jersey’s climate and home insurance information. First, New Jersey’s climate. New Jersey is a moderate climate with humid summers (record high 110F) and cold winters (record low -34F). Very cold winters occur in the northwest with temperatures below 28F while relatively mild weather occurs in the south. Tornadoes are not uncommon as the state experienced four during the year 1992 and snowfall in the winter is a regular occurrence. Tropical storms and snow melt lead to flooding which can cause great property damages and included in Jersey’s weather history is the flood of 1997 when Atlantic City received 13 inches of rain in a day, and the flood of 2000 (14 inches of rain in the northwest). Homeowners in New Jersey need to be aware of heavy storms, snow, hurricanes and floods. Cape May which is in the 70′s in the summer and in the 30′s in the winter, has an average precipitation of 41.39 inches per a year. Atlantic City, influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, has summers that last longer and milder winters has heavy rainfall due to passing hurricanes. Trenton, largely continental, is subject to winds from the interior of the country and has an annual snowfall of approximately 23 inches.

Given the weather conditions and climate history of the state of New Jersey, the most popular types of insurance in New Jersey are the HO-3 (homeowners policy), the HO-4 (renters/tenants), and the HO-6 (condominiums). The HO-3 form covers all risks except for earthquake, flood, or other listed exceptions (depending on the policy you get). There is an HO-5 (not often sold) which has less exceptions than the HO-3. In addition, there is an HO-2 form (broad form) that covers fire, windstorm, theft, glass breakage, vandalism, building collapse, freezing/weight of ice & snow, broken hot water/heating systems, and falling objects. This HO-2 form will address most of these perils and will also address some additional concerns such as property damage, fire, robbery and vandalism. In addition to HO-2, homeowners should strongly consider flood insurance to assure that their property is covered in the likely case of flood or water damage. Flood insurers in the state of New Jersey are required to write for the National Flood Insurance Program and most coastal areas participate in a floodplain management program making any homeowner (even those that are high risk) able to buy flood insurance.