New Jersey severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 21 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 6,055 severe thunderstorm wind events in New Jersey from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 180 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the November 16, 1989 thunderstorm wind: 2 deaths and 12 injuries across 6 records. New Jersey ranks 31st of 52 states and territories by count and 2nd of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in New Jersey, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 6,0551955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 180average
- Deaths
- 24283 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $158Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2020639 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events common in New Jersey?
New Jersey averages about 180 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 31st of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2020 (639). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Jersey records 8233 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 2nd of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in New Jersey have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Union County leads New Jersey: 114 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 1109.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Burlington County has the most thunderstorm wind records (726 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in New Jersey?
55% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (1,870 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 52 · Feb 104 · Mar 213 · Apr 326 · May 500 · Jun 1,442 · Jul 1,870 · Aug 868 · Sep 297 · Oct 151 · Nov 180 · Dec 52 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in New Jersey?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-11-16 | Thunderstorm WindUnion County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (6, in 4 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 2 | 12 | – | |
| 2008-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindEast Newark, Hudson County One storm episode: 7 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong cold front moved across Northeast New Jersey the evening of Tuesday June 10th causing multiple severe thunderstorms across the region. | 61 kt wind | 2 | 2 | $327K |
| 1997-07-18 | Thunderstorm WindParamus, Bergen County One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A severe thunderstorm moved southeast over Bergen County. It produced high winds. A 20 year old male parking attendant at Ridgefield Country Club in Paramus was crushed (and killed) by a large wind-blown tree branch.A line of severe thunderstorms swept southeast across the area during the evening. Severe thunderstorms ... | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2012-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindPennsville, Salem County One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places, 2012-06-29 to 2012-06-30; the totals are the episode's. A well-organized cluster of thunderstorms with a history of producing widespread damaging winds advanced into a hot, unstable airmass over the Mid Atlantic. This derecho produced widespread, significant wind damage from southern New Jersey southward into the Delmarva during the late evening and overnight of the 29th. ... | 65 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $25M |
| 2025-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindPlainfield, Union County One storm episode: 5 records; the totals are the episode's. Deep layered troughing approached the area from the west along with a cold front at the surface. The area was able to destabilize ahead of the cold front to between 1000 and 1500 j/kg of MLCAPE. The front sparked showers and thunderstorms and with 30 to 40 kt of Effective Bulk Shear available, many of the storms ... | 60 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $50K |
| 1989-03-18 | Thunderstorm WindHunterdon County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-09-07 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Monmouth County A squall line of severe thunderstorms capsized boats and downed trees and power lines throughout Monmouth County. A 56-year-old man drowned in Sandy Hook Bay after his fishing boat rolled over. About 30 persons were injured, mainly from hypothermia after their sailing vessels capsized mainly in Sandy Hook Bay. The ... | 1 | 30 | – | |
| 2017-05-14 | Thunderstorm WindPassaic County A large tree limb fell onto Paulison Avenue, killing one person and injuring six. Nearby Observations (KCDW and KTEB) and radar support winds of between 40 and 50 mph. | 43 kt wind | 1 | 6 | $2K |
| 2011-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindRidgeway, Ocean County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A weak surface trough acted as a trigger to scattered strong to severe thunderstorms that developed across central and northern New Jersey during the second half of the afternoon on the 22nd. There was one storm related death in Ocean County. A funnel cloud was sighted in Ocean County, but did not touch down. Jersey ... | 52 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $131K |
| 2010-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindAtsion, Burlington County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Severe thunderstorms caused considerable tree damage during the afternoon into the early evening of the 24th across the southern third of New Jersey and claimed the life of one woman and injured two other persons in Burlington County. About 130,000 Public Service Electric & Gas and 65,000 Atlantic City Electric ... | 50 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $677K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in New Jersey
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindClarksboro, Gloucester County One storm episode: 13 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 74 kt wind | 0 | 6 | $38M |
| 2012-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindPennsville, Salem County One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places, 2012-06-29 to 2012-06-30; the totals are the episode's. | 65 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $25M |
| 1996-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindSykesville, Burlington County | 0 | 0 | $23M | |
| 2002-08-02 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Monmouth County | 72 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $17M |
| 1998-09-07 | Thunderstorm WindLinden Airport, Union County | 0 | 0 | $5.4M | |
| 1998-09-07 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Somerset County | 0 | 1 | $4.8M | |
| 1998-09-07 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Middlesex County | 0 | 1 | $3.4M | |
| 2003-09-23 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Burlington County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.4M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events becoming more frequent in New Jersey?
New Jersey's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | New Jersey | United States | New Jersey's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 16 | 3,482 | 0.5% |
| 1960s | 28 | 10,124 | 0.3% |
| 1970s | 69 | 18,714 | 0.4% |
| 1980s | 326 | 39,604 | 0.8% |
| 1990s | 772 | 85,554 | 0.9% |
| 2000s | 1,076 | 129,990 | 0.8% |
| 2010s | 1,735 | 161,286 | 1.1% |
| 2020-26 | 2,033 | 126,815 | 1.6% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in New Jersey
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindColumbus, Burlington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindMantua, Gloucester County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindHurffville, Gloucester County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindBells Lake, Gloucester County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindPerrineville, Monmouth County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindWinslow Jct, Camden County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindEast Trenton, Mercer County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindTimbuctoo, Burlington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindJacksonville, Burlington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindPrinceton, Mercer County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindWhite Horse, Mercer County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindBrooklawn, Camden County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in New Jersey
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 19 declarations in New Jersey, 19 of them major disasters; the latest on August 11, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-11 | DR-4725 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2018-06-08 | DR-4368 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 6 |
| 2016-03-14 | DR-4264 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 17 |
| 2015-07-22 | DR-4231 | Severe Storm | 4 |
| 2012-07-19 | DR-4070 | Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds | 3 |
| 2011-11-30 | DR-4048 | Severe Storm | 11 |
| 2011-10-14 | DR-4039 | Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee | 5 |
| 2011-09-15 | DR-4033 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 3 |
| 2010-04-02 | DR-1897 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 16 |
| 2009-12-22 | DR-1867 | Severe Storms and Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Ida and A Nor'eas | 3 |
| 2007-04-26 | DR-1694 | Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding | 15 |
| 2006-07-07 | DR-1653 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 4 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Union County: the county's whole recordThe New Jersey county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in New JerseyTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in New Jersey5,132 records
- Floods in New Jersey3,787 records
- High wind and dust storms in New Jersey3,591 records