Morris County, New Jersey severe weather history spans 650 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #476 nationally and #5 in New Jersey.
650
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
37
Direct injuries
$313.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Morris County, New Jersey severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Morris County, New Jersey severe weather history averages 8.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 201 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 620 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Morris County, New Jersey record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $255.5M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Morris County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 349 | 2 | $2.2M | 70 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 72 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1975–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 63 | 0 | $53.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 59 | 1 | $255.5M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 49 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 44 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $1.0M | F3 | 1951–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1998 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Morris 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
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-05-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-28 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-10-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-04-29 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Morris County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | CONVENT STATION | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2011 | Flood | MILTON | 1 | 0 | $200.0M |
| Aug 16, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | MT HOPE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 29, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 6 | $30.0M |
| Jul 26, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | ROCKAWAY | 0 | 3 | $25K |
| Jul 18, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | SCHOOLEYS MTN | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 8, 2007 | Lightning | MT ARLINGTON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread flash flooding occurred in Morris County with numerous road closures. Many waterways in the county overflowed their banks, including the Passaic River, the Whippany River, the Pompton River and the Pequannock River.
A severe thunderstorm caused considerable wind damage in the Lake Hiawatha/Parsippany area of Morris County. Damage estimates were between $750,000 and $1 million. About 50 large trees were uprooted. Around 25 homes, mostly in Lake Hiawatha, were damaged by the falling trees. Numerous trees were also damaged at the Mazda Brook Golf Course. A propane tank was damaged by a falling tree in Parsippany. In Montville sixteen roads were closed by tree debris. In nearby Boonton the thunderstorm tore down numerous tree limbs. Central New Jersey Power and Light estimated 16,000 customers lost power during the height of the storm.
Lightning struck a home on Pleasant Avenue in Hanover Township. The ensuing fire was contained to the attic, but both the first and second floors of the home sustained smoke and water damage. The fire made the home uninhabitable. No injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
514,528
Population (ACS)
$583K
Median home value
33
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 Morris County, New Jersey?
650 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $313.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Morris County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 349 recorded events — 53.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Morris County?
11 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 Morris County?
33 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Morris County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Morris County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Morris County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 93 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Morris 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
- Monmouth County 730
- Ocean County 792
- Middlesex County 611
- Passaic County 394
- Salem County 281
- Mercer County 536
Cite this page
“Morris County, New Jersey.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-jersey/morris-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.