Cape May County, New Jersey severe weather history spans 342 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,544 nationally and #19 in New Jersey.
342
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$8.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Cape May County, New Jersey severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cape May County, New Jersey severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 129 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 309 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cape May County, New Jersey record is rip current, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $5.0M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cape May County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 140 | 0 | $1.3M | 78 | 1970–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 82 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Hail | 31 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1977–2025 |
| Flood | 28 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $650K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Lightning | 20 | 0 | $134K | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $803K | F2 | 1952–2021 |
| Rip Current | 4 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2012 |
Decade by decade
Cape May County, New Jersey severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-08-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 28.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-09-06 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-09-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cape May County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2005 | Rip Current | WILDWOOD CREST | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 1998 | Rip Current | OCEAN CITY | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2012 | Lightning | WILDWOOD | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2015 | Lightning | CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2008 | Lightning | CAPE MAY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 2003 | Lightning | AVALON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2000 | Lightning | GRASSY SOUND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 6, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm caused wind damage in Ocean City along Central and Ocean Avenues as well as along the beach. Part of the roof was torn away from the Seabreeze Apartments on Ocean Avenue. The roof of the Sun Aqua motel was also dislodged. The roof debris damaged a nearby condominium as well as the windshield of several vehicles. On Central Avenue, three homes suffered partial roof collapses and facade damage. The debris hit homes across the street. A utility pole collapsed. Wind damage also occurred to the 5th Street ballfield. On the beach itself, thirteen lifeguard stands were destroyed as they went tumbling down the beach. About a dozen beach patrol surf boats went cartwheeling down the beach also. Six were totally damaged. One was found in Strathmere. A wind gust of 66 mph was recorded within Ocean City. No serious injuries were reported.
A wet microburst caused wind damage at the Woodbine Municipal Airport within the borough. Several hangers and aircraft were damaged. No injuries were reported. A couple of trees and large tree limbs were also knocked down in the borough. Wind gusts at the airport were estimated to reach 75 mph.
A severe convective shower caused wind damage along Simpson and Haven Avenues between 28th and 29th Streets in Ocean City. Property damage occurred as the damaging winds sent roof shingles flying, tore siding off homes, crushed outside shower stalls, blocked an alley by moving a stored floating dock, tore the roof off a garage and tossed trash cans and newspaper boxes. Stop signs and a traffic light were also knocked down along 29th Street.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
94,941
Population (ACS)
$435K
Median home value
34
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Sep 2, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Apr 28, 2021 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Dec 11, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | DR |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cape May County, New Jersey?
342 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $8.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cape May County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 140 recorded events — 40.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cape May County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cape May County?
34 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cape May County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cape May County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cape May County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cape May County, New Jersey severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Camden County 638
- Cumberland County 420
- Burlington County 1,141
- Essex County 400
- Bergen County 897
- Gloucester County 553
Cite this page
“Cape May County, New Jersey.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-jersey/cape-may-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.