Essex County, New Jersey
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 34013 · population 863,448 · 126 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 760 records for Essex County, New Jersey from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 432 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (190 records). NOAA records 190 flood or flash floods there since 1996, with 7 deaths; its 5,845 flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA) rank 85th of 2,942 U.S. counties; the deadliest named storm on its flood record is Hurricane Ida (2021). The deadliest day on its record was October 29, 2012: high wind and coastal flood records filed for Essex County that day count 6 deaths across 2 records. FEMA has issued 33 declarations naming the county since 1965, 29 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Remnants of Hurricane Ida” on September 5, 2021.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 760on 432 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 2947 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $43Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 3strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 33latest 2021
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Essex County most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 190 since 1996. The rank column places the county among New Jersey's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 190 | 106 | 1996-2025 | 7 | 0 | $38M | 2 of 20 |
| Winter storms | 180 | 100 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 1 | – | 7 of 20 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 160 | 110 | 1957-2026 | 1 | 28 | $514K | 2 of 20 |
| High wind and dust storms | 87 | 60 | 1996-2026 | 11 | 6 | $2.7M | 5 of 20 |
| Hail | 33 | 23 | 1974-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 of 20 |
| Heat | 24 | 14 | 1999-2019 | 8 | 0 | – | 17 of 20 |
| Lightning | 23 | 20 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 10 | $319K | 2 of 20 |
| Drought | 22 | 11 | 2001-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 of 20 |
| Heavy rain | 19 | 19 | 1996-2009 | 0 | 0 | $14K | 6 of 20 |
| Extreme cold | 8 | 4 | 2000-2004 | 0 | 0 | – | 18 of 20 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 7 | 4 | 2003-2020 | 0 | 2 | – | 11 of 20 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 4 | 2014-2015 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 17 of 20 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 3 | 1973-2021 | 0 | 0 | $526K | 11 of 20 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Essex County had?
NOAA records 3 tornadoes in Essex County from 1973 to 2021, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 3 tornadoes whose track touched Essex County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 3, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in New Jersey.
Every tornado record filed for Essex County (3)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-29 | Glen Ridge, Essex County | EF0 0.35 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $359K |
| 1989-11-16 | Essex County | F0 0.2 mi x 13 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1973-06-29 | Essex County | F1 1.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Essex County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 6, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($3,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindLivingston, Essex County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2026-02-23 | BlizzardEssex County · forecast zone Eastern Essex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Heavy SnowEssex County · forecast zone Western Essex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | High WindEssex County · forecast zone Eastern Essex | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormEssex County · forecast zone Eastern Essex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormEssex County · forecast zone Western Essex | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter WeatherEssex County · forecast zone Eastern Essex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter WeatherEssex County · forecast zone Western Essex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-17 | Winter WeatherEssex County · forecast zone Eastern Essex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-17 | Winter WeatherEssex County · forecast zone Western Essex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-26 | Winter WeatherEssex County · forecast zone Eastern Essex | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-26 | Winter WeatherEssex County · forecast zone Western Essex | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-10-29 | High WindEssex County · forecast zone Eastern Essex The FAA observer at Newark Airport estimated a wind gust up to 78 mph at 751 pm. Two females were found dead from Carbon monoxide poisoning. This was a result of a loss of power to their building. A 65 year old female was found dead as she ran out of oxygen. This was due to the loss of power in her home in Jersey ... | 68 kt wind | 5 | 0 | $1.2M |
| 1999-07-04 | HeatEssex County · forecast zone Essex An extremely hot and humid airmass covered the region from July 4th through July 6th.On Sunday July 4th, temperatures soared into the mid and upper 90s. The combination of high temperatures and moderate humidity caused most heat indices to range from 100 to 105 degrees.On Monday July 5th, many new maximum temperature ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-07-04 | HeatEssex County and Hudson County · forecast zone Hudson An extremely hot and humid airmass covered the region from July 4th through July 6th.On Sunday July 4th, temperatures soared into the mid and upper 90s. The combination of high temperatures and moderate humidity caused most heat indices to range from 100 to 105 degrees.On Monday July 5th, many new maximum temperature ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-12-25 | Strong WindEssex County · forecast zone Essex A strong cold front moved across the Northeast during the early morning hours of December 25. Gusty northwest winds of 40 to 50 mph behind the front toppled a 40 foot tree onto a car traveling on the Garden State Parkway in Bloomfield, New Jersey, at approximately 0110EST. A 42-year-old man and 70-year-old woman were ... | 40 kt wind | 2 | 2 | – |
| 2021-09-01 | Flash FloodIrvington, Essex County A 66 year old man and his 46 year old daughter died as a result of flooding after going into the basement of their home on Lincoln Place in Irvington to secure it as the Elizabeth River began to overflow. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-08-01 | HeatEssex County · forecast zone Essex An oppressive air mass moved slowly east across the region. This was preceded by a hot dry air mass, when temperatures reached at least 90 degrees at Newark Liberty Airport, from July 27 to July 31.Excessive heat occurred mainly from noon to midnight each day for 3 consecutive days. High temperatures ranged from the ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-07-26 | LightningNewark Hgts, Essex County Lightning struck 4 persons under a tree outside the Ivy Hill Apartments on Mount Vernon Place, killing one and injuring 3 others. | 1 | 3 | $1K | |
| 1999-10-14 | Strong WindEssex County · forecast zone Essex Strong and gusty northwest winds developed behind a rapidly moving strong cold front. Most wind gusts were between 40 and 50 mph.In Essex County, gusty winds downed a 3 foot wide, 35 foot high oak tree in Glen Ridge. This tree fell on a van and crushed a 2 year old boy. His mother, who was injured, began climbing into ... | 1 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-09-16 | Flash FloodCountywide, Essex County | 0 | 0 | $13M | |
| 1996-10-19 | Flash FloodMillburn, Essex County | 0 | 0 | $9.4M | |
| 2007-04-15 | FloodEsx Co Airport Cal, Essex County | 1 | 0 | $5.7M | |
| 1997-07-24 | Flash FloodCountywide, Essex County | 0 | 0 | $5.5M | |
| 2005-04-02 | FloodEssex County and Hudson County · forecast zone Hudson | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | |
| 2014-12-24 | Dense FogEssex County · forecast zone Eastern Essex | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 1998-11-11 | High WindEssex County and Hudson County · forecast zone Hudson | 0 | 0 | $453K | |
| 2021-07-29 | TornadoGlen Ridge, Essex County | EF0 0.35 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $359K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 29, 1973 (tornado, Essex County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Essex County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 32 | 54 | 58 | 46 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 11 | 53 | 73 | 43 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 3 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 34 | 34 | 37 | 24 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 20 | 28 | 28 | 11 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 2 | 8 | 14 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Essex County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 82 · Feb 78 · Mar 65 · Apr 38 · May 43 · Jun 68 · Jul 114 · Aug 76 · Sep 54 · Oct 45 · Nov 37 · Dec 60 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Essex County
FEMA's register lists 33 declarations that include Essex County: 21 major disasters, 12 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (10) and severe storm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-09-05 | DR-4614 | Hurricane | Remnants of Hurricane Ida |
| 2021-09-02 | EM-3573 | Hurricane | Remnants of Hurricane Ida |
| 2020-12-11 | DR-4574 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Isaias |
| 2020-03-25 | DR-4488 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3451 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-06-08 | DR-4368 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2016-03-14 | DR-4264 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2012-10-30 | DR-4086 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2012-10-28 | EM-3354 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2011-11-30 | DR-4048 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm |
| 2011-08-31 | DR-4021 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-08-27 | EM-3332 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-02-04 | DR-1954 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2010-04-02 | DR-1897 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2007-04-26 | DR-1694 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding |
| 2005-09-19 | EM-3257 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-04-19 | DR-1588 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2003-09-23 | EM-3188 | Other | Power Outage |
| 2003-03-20 | EM-3181 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 2001-09-19 | EM-3169 | Fire | Fires and Explosions |
| 2000-11-01 | EM-3156 | Other | West Nile Virus |
| 1999-09-18 | DR-1295 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations |
| 1999-09-17 | EM-3148 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1088 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) |
| 1993-03-17 | EM-3106 | Snowstorm | Severe Blizzard |
| 1992-12-18 | DR-973 | Flood | Coastal Storm, High Tides, Heavy Rain, & Flooding |
| 1984-04-12 | DR-701 | Flood | Coastal Storms & Flooding |
| 1980-10-19 | EM-3083 | Drought | Water Shortage |
| 1975-07-23 | DR-477 | Flood | Heavy Rains, High Winds, Hail & Tornadoes |
| 1973-08-07 | DR-402 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1971-09-04 | DR-310 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1968-06-18 | DR-245 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1965-08-18 | DR-205 | Drought | Water Shortage |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Essex County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 190 flood or flash flood records for Essex County from 1996 to 2025, on 106 days, with 7 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Essex County ranks 85th of 2,942 U.S. counties. The 100 counties with the most claims
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ida | 2021-09-01 | 4 | 5 |
| Hurricane Sandy | 2012-10-29 | 1 | 1 |
| Tropical Storm Isaias | 2020-08-04 | 2 | 0 |
| Hurricane Floyd | 1999-09-16 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $164 million on 5,845 claims filed in Essex County; the most in one year was 1,543 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 116 · 1979: 173 · 1980: 64 · 1981: 100 · 1982: 28 · 1983: 149 · 1984: 277 · 1985: 16 · 1986: 20 · 1987: 24 · 1988: 15 · 1989: 83 · 1990: 7 · 1991: 13 · 1992: 31 · 1993: 31 · 1994: 24 · 1995: 18 · 1996: 78 · 1997: 54 · 1998: 15 · 1999: 635 · 2000: 6 · 2001: 33 · 2002: 13 · 2003: 6 · 2004: 9 · 2005: 80 · 2006: 21 · 2007: 502 · 2008: 17 · 2009: 15 · 2010: 273 · 2011: 1,543 · 2012: 115 · 2013: 11 · 2014: 34 · 2015: 7 · 2016: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2018: 75 · 2019: 16 · 2020: 13 · 2021: 878 · 2022: 17 · 2023: 78 · 2024: 90 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 10.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Essex County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Essex County Relatively High overall, with an expected annual loss of $214 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Very High | $4.8M | 6.4 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Very High | $697K | 11 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | $19M | 9.3 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $149M | 3.1 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | $8.7M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively High | $8.5M | once in about 21 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $995K | 32 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $12M | once in about 489 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Essex County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in New JerseyEvery New Jersey tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Floods in New JerseyThe state's floods and flash floods, by county, year and month
- The New Jersey recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Essex CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Essex County's FEMA declarations (CSV)33 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis