New Jersey tornadoes
Every recorded tornado since 1950 · 21 counties with a record
New Jersey has recorded 193 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, about 3.7 a year since 2000, with 7 rated F3/EF3 or stronger (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). The deadliest was the October 27, 2003 tornado through Burlington (1 death in New Jersey). New Jersey ranks 37th of 52 states and territories by count and 24th of 51 per square mile.
Tornadoes in New Jersey, 1950 to 2025
Tornadoes per year (SPC; a tornado that crossed a state line counts in each state it touched).
- 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: tornado reports rose with NEXRAD Doppler radar, mid-1990s (SPC)
- Tornadoes
- 1931950 to 2025
- A year since 2000
- 3.7average
- Deaths
- 175 injuries
- F3/EF3 or stronger
- 74% of tornadoes
- Busiest year
- 198917 tornadoes
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025 (state segments). SPC severe weather database.
Are tornadoes common in New Jersey?
New Jersey averages about 3.7 tornadoes a year since 2000, 37th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1989 (17). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Jersey records 262 tornadoes since 1950, 24th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA SPC, tornadoes 1950-2025, 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 tornadoes?
Per square mile, Union County leads New Jersey: 13 days with a tornado record since 1950, 126.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Burlington County has the most tornado records (25 since 1950); 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 1950 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is tornado season in New Jersey?
44% of its tornadoes since 1950 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (55 tornadoes).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 5 · Mar 5 · Apr 14 · May 14 · Jun 23 · Jul 55 · Aug 29 · Sep 20 · Oct 14 · Nov 14 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments by the month they began, 1950-2025.
What were the deadliest tornadoes in New Jersey?
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Killed | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-10-27 | Burlington | F0 | 0.5 mi | 1 | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (state segments: deaths and path inside New Jersey), 1950-2025; counties are the first four the SPC lists for the segment. SPC severe weather database.
Where have the strongest tornadoes tracked in New Jersey?
- F2/EF2
- F3/EF3
- F4/EF4
- F5/EF5
- no end point filed
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, start and end points of each track; county lines: Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (2017), via us-atlas. SPC severe weather database. Census cartographic boundary files.
The strongest tornadoes in New Jersey
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-06-24 | Hightstown · Mercer | F3 | 12.9 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
| 2021-09-01 | Woodbury Heights · Gloucester | EF3 | 12.37 mi | 400 yd | 0 |
| 1977-09-26 | Milltown · Somerset | F3 | 5.9 mi | 27 yd | 0 |
| 1990-10-18 | Somerset | F3 | 0.5 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1973-05-28 | Morristown · Morris | F3 | 0.4 mi | 50 yd | 0 |
| 1973-05-28 | Netcong · Morris | F3 | 0.4 mi | 50 yd | 0 |
| 1983-07-21 | Ocean | F3 | 0.2 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1971-08-27 | Estell Manor · Cape May, Atlantic | F2 | 28.7 mi | 40 yd | 0 |
| 1960-07-14 | Swedesboro to Wenonah · Salem, Gloucester | F2 | 15.6 mi | 450 yd | 0 |
| 1962-05-24 | Pennington · Mercer | F2 | 14.7 mi | 300 yd | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database; F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after.
The longest tornado paths in New Jersey
| Date | Tornado and counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-03-10 | Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, Ocean | F1 | 59.1 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
| 1958-07-14 | Camden, Burlington | F1 | 48.5 mi | 20 yd | 0 |
| 1952-08-10 | Burlington, Cape May, Monmouth | F1 | 39.3 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1971-08-27 | Estell Manor · Cape May, Atlantic | F2 | 28.7 mi | 40 yd | 0 |
| 1990-08-13 | Sussex, Passaic | F0 | 25 mi | 150 yd | 0 |
| 1960-07-14 | Swedesboro to Wenonah · Salem, Gloucester | F2 | 15.6 mi | 450 yd | 0 |
| 1962-05-24 | Pennington · Mercer | F2 | 14.7 mi | 300 yd | 0 |
| 1994-06-29 | Warren, Morris | F1 | 14 mi | 30 yd | 0 |
| 1960-06-24 | Hightstown · Mercer | F3 | 12.9 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
| 2021-09-01 | Woodbury Heights · Gloucester | EF3 | 12.37 mi | 400 yd | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments: path length and width inside the state. SPC severe weather database.
Tornadoes in every New Jersey county
All 21 counties: tornadoes whose track touched each, and the strongest
| County | Tornadoes | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Burlington County | 25 | F/EF2 |
| Ocean County | 20 | F/EF3 |
| Mercer County | 17 | F/EF3 |
| Gloucester County | 15 | F/EF3 |
| Monmouth County | 15 | F/EF2 |
| Union County | 14 | F/EF1 |
| Cape May County | 11 | F/EF2 |
| Atlantic County | 10 | F/EF2 |
| Camden County | 10 | F/EF2 |
| Cumberland County | 10 | F/EF2 |
| Hunterdon County | 10 | F/EF2 |
| Bergen County | 9 | F/EF2 |
| Morris County | 9 | F/EF3 |
| Middlesex County | 8 | F/EF1 |
| Warren County | 6 | F/EF2 |
| Somerset County | 5 | F/EF3 |
| Passaic County | 4 | F/EF1 |
| Salem County | 4 | F/EF2 |
| Sussex County | 4 | F/EF2 |
| Essex County | 3 | F/EF1 |
| Hudson County | 1 | F/EF1 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database: whole tornadoes whose track touched the county (any state segment listing it). SPC severe weather database.
The costliest tornadoes in New Jersey
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-05-25 | TornadoLambertville, Hunterdon County | F0 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $10.0M |
| 1994-07-26 | TornadoOf Kenilworth, Union County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $10.0M |
| 1999-08-20 | TornadoBeach Haven, Ocean County A strong waterspout formed over the Atlantic Ocean just southeast of Beach Haven and moved northwest. It became a tornado as it moved across Long Beach Island around 350 p.m. EDT along the Beach Haven/Long Beach Township border. It briefly reached F2 intensity (on the Fujita Scale) as it crossed the island thus ... | F2 0.4 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $7.4M |
| 2021-09-01 | TornadoHarrisonville, Gloucester County The tornado touched down near Harrisonville, NJ doing mostly damage to trees and limbs before strengthening and moving northeast. As it moved to the northeast, it crossed into the Cedar Grove area producing more significant damage to trees with many trees uprooted. The tornado moved into the Willow Oaks subdivision ... | EF3 12.37 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 2 | $5.4M |
| 1998-09-07 | TornadoPlainfield, Union County An F0 tornado touched down in a highly populated residential area from Northern Plainfield east across Southern Scotch Plains. Signs of rotation were evident in damage to trees and eyewitness reports included the sighting of funnel clouds. The Mayor of Plainfield estimated that the township lost at least 95 trees. | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.7M |
| 2001-05-27 | TornadoGordons Corner, Monmouth County A strong tornado (F2 on the Fujita Scale) struck extreme northern Manalapan and extreme southwest Marlboro Townships. Four houses had severe roof damage and about a dozen others suffered minor damage. A construction trailer was tossed and two vehicles were overturned. Between 150 and 200 trees were either uprooted or ... | F2 1.5 mi x 67 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.7M |
| 2003-09-23 | TornadoTrenton, Mercer County An F1 tornado (on the Fujita Scale) touched down in the eastern part of Trenton around Hillcrest and traveled northeast passing through the southern part of Ewing Township and into southwestern half of Lawrence Township before it lifted around the Franklin Corner area. Two persons were injured and many people were ... | F1 5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.6M |
| 2009-07-29 | TornadoLibertyville, Sussex County An EF-2 tornado touched down in Wantage Township at about 248 p.m. EDT on the 29th. It was the first confirmed tornado in Sussex County since August of 1990, the first tornado of F2 or EF2 strength ever in the county since records started in 1950 and the first tornado to reach EF2 or F2 strength in New Jersey since ... | EF2 6.56 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
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 $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 13, 1975 (tornado, Cumberland County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are tornadoes becoming more frequent in New Jersey?
New Jersey's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. The Storm Prediction Center notes that tornado reports rose especially around the installation of the NEXRAD Doppler radar network in the mid-1990s, so a rising count is partly better detection; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | New Jersey | United States | New Jersey's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12 | 4,837 | 0.25% |
| 1960s | 11 | 6,863 | 0.16% |
| 1970s | 23 | 8,633 | 0.27% |
| 1980s | 41 | 8,250 | 0.50% |
| 1990s | 39 | 12,205 | 0.32% |
| 2000s | 13 | 12,892 | 0.10% |
| 2010s | 20 | 12,232 | 0.16% |
| 2020-25 | 34 | 8,234 | 0.41% |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments.
The most recent tornadoes in New Jersey
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-16 | TornadoCedar Lake, Atlantic County | EF1 0.77 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2025-05-16 | TornadoStar Cross, Gloucester County | EF1 7.32 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2024-06-14 | TornadoSlackwood, Mercer County | EF0 0.13 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-08-10 | TornadoWhitesbog, Burlington County | EF1 0.31 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-08-10 | TornadoClarksboro, Gloucester County | EF1 0.66 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-08-07 | TornadoHolland, Hunterdon County | EF0 0.52 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-06-26 | TornadoBernardsville, Somerset County | EF1 1.38 mi x 475 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-06-16 | TornadoBuddtown, Burlington County | EF0 3.4 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-04-01 | TornadoHyson, Monmouth County | EF2 0.19 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-04-01 | TornadoCrosswicks, Burlington County | EF1 0.67 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-04-01 | TornadoAllentown, Monmouth County | EF1 0.08 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-04-01 | TornadoNorth Crosswicks, Mercer County | EF1 1.81 mi x 300 yd | 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 tornadoes in New Jersey
FEMA has declared 1 disaster in New Jersey for tornadoes, counting its incident type and declarations that name tornado in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); one was a major disaster, the latest on July 23, 1975.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-07-23 | DR-477 | Heavy Rains, High Winds, Hail & Tornadoes | 13 |
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 tornadoes per square mile
- Tornadoes across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in New JerseyTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in New Jersey6,055 records
- Winter storms in New Jersey5,132 records
- Floods in New Jersey3,787 records