Every year we wonder to ourselves if it's ever been this cold or hot, this stormy or this extreme before and then we crunch the numbers and it turns out the weather is not as unusual as we think. But this year I think it's different. Doesn't it seem to you that it never just rains anymore? It always seems to be some kind of severe warning we're dealing with.

Wet Weather Continues In Auckland
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And this summer in particular seems to be full of Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warning, and you can throw in a couple of Tornado Warnings and you find yourself in your bathroom or basement wondering what the hell is going on.

Dark clouds over Asbury Park during this week's thunderstorms
Dark clouds over Asbury Park during thunderstorms (Bud McCormick)
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So, we decided to check our rain totals this summer with the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers to compare the deluge of rain we've had this summer to the history of our area, and the results will surprise you.

We found statistics on average precipitation for each summer month as it was recorded at two weather stations in Monmouth County from 1991 through 2020 and here's what we found.

Freehold Average Monthly Rainfall...

June...4.44 inches

July...4.65 inches

August...4.13 inches

Freehold Avg Summer Total...13.22 inches

Long Branch Average Monthly Rainfall...

June...4.34

July...4.40

August...6.27

Long Branch Avg Summer Total...15.01 inches

Long Branch has really had some rainy Augusts in the past 30 years apparently. So how do these numbers compared to what we have experienced this summer (a summer most people believe has had a ton of heavy storms)?

State Climatologist David Robinson told us that, according to citizen science NJ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network, here are this year's summer totals...

Freehold Rain Totals Summer 2021 (So Far)...14.68 inches. That's about an in and a half more than the average, and we still have 19 August days left!

Long Branch Rain Totals Summer 2021 (So Far)...15.33 inches. A third of an inch more than usual and we still have almost three weeks to go in August.

I knew it. I knew there wasn't anything normal about this summer in Monmouth County when it came to the rain. And we haven't even talked about the intensity of some of these storms which I also think is getting worse each year. Let's hope this isn't one of those 'new normals'.

Maybe The Weather Is Better In The 25 Best Places To Live in New Jersey

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in New Jersey using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.

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LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

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