Salem County, New Jersey severe weather history spans 281 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,889 nationally and #20 in New Jersey.
281
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$29.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Salem County, New Jersey severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Salem County, New Jersey severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 81 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 260 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Salem County, New Jersey record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $17.0M 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 Salem County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 162 | 2 | $1.2M | 96 | 1975–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 32 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 1 | $10.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 24 | 0 | $250K | 1.75 | 1980–2023 |
| Flood | 17 | 1 | $17.0M | 0 | 2007–2015 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $111K | 0 | 2001–2013 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $750K | F2 | 1960–1988 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2008 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Salem 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
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-08-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 15.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-11-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Salem County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | PENNSVILLE | 2 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Aug 28, 2011 | Flood | HANCOCKS BRIDGE | 1 | 0 | $10.0M |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $5.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
In Pilesgrove Township, a 20-year-old woman was swept away by flood waters near the Salem River on U.S. Route 40 and drowned while driving her car early on the 28th. The combination of flooding rains and tropical storm force wind gusts closed forty roadways in the county. The collapse of the East Lake Road Dam in Woodstown flooded sections of the borough and Pilesgrove Township. In Pittsgrove Township, both Centerton and Palantine Lakes flooded. Half of Parvin State Park suffered wind and flood damage. ||For the second time within the month, the Maurice River at Norma had major flooding and set the second highest crest on record. The river at the Norma gage was above its 4 foot flood stage from 1115 p.m. EDT on the 27th through 1030 a.m. EDT on September 2nd. Event rainfall totals included 7.55 inches in Woodstown.
Four homes were evacuated around the Willow Grove Lake in Pittsgrove Township. The Willow Grove Lake Bridge was also closed as a precaution. There were several breaches of water around Centerton Lake (Pittsgrove Township). Six detours were set up around the county. The worst damage occurred to Landis Avenue at the Rainbow Lake Dam (Pittsgrove Township). Water from the Rainbow Lake destroyed a major section of the road. Several other roads around the dam were closed as a precaution. The washed away Rainbow Lake Bridge along Landis Avenue (New Jersey State Route 56) will cost between 5 and 6 million dollars to replace. The Willow Grove Road Bridge between Salem and Cumberland County was also damaged. |The Maurice River at Norma (Salem/Cumberland County Border) was above its 4 foot flood stage from 522 a.m. EDT on the 16th through 900 p.m. EDT on the 20th. It crested at 5.83 feet at 900 p.m. EDT on the 18th.|
Thunderstorms with repeated torrential downpours caused flash flooding with damaging effects across eastern Salem County, especially in Pittsgrove Township. A county state of emergency was declared. At least one water rescue was reported. Flooding was reported in Alloway, Pittsgrove, Elmer and Upper Pittsgrove Townships. Fourteen roadways, nine bridges and many culverts were damaged, most in Pittsgrove Township. Some families were evacuated in Pittsgrove Township around Palatine and Centerton Lakes. Two bridges washed away in the township on Greenville and Burlington Roads. It was expected to take six to twelve months for both bridges to be replaced. Two other township roadways remained closed into the 19th. In spite of being drained prior to the rain, Centeron Lake filled and flooded. A few homes were half submerged by flood waters along Palatine Lake. In Elmer, Elmer Lake also flooded. Event precipitation totals included 9.64 inches in Elmer and 5.89 inches in Woodstown.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
65,275
Population (ACS)
$240K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Sep 2, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Dec 11, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | DR |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 30, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Salem County, New Jersey?
281 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $29.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Salem County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 162 recorded events — 57.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Salem County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Salem County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Salem County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Salem County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Salem County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Salem 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
- Somerset County 619
- Passaic County 394
- Sussex County 471
- Ocean County 792
- Union County 435
- Morris County 650
Cite this page
“Salem County, New Jersey.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-jersey/salem-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.