Bergen County, New Jersey severe weather history spans 897 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #211 nationally and #2 in New Jersey.
897
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$77.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Bergen County, New Jersey severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bergen County, New Jersey severe weather history averages 13.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 331 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 875 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bergen County, New Jersey record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $52.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bergen County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 352 | 3 | $1.4M | 96 | 1969–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 269 | 3 | $17.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 107 | 1 | $52.4M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Hail | 82 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1986–2023 |
| Lightning | 52 | 3 | $521K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 23 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2006 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $5.8M | F2 | 1956–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2010 |
Decade by decade
Bergen 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
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-08-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-09-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-10-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-07-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-07-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bergen County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2006 | Lightning | MONTVALE | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $17.5M |
| Jun 11, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | DUMONT | 1 | 1 | $500 |
| Sep 2, 2021 | Flash Flood | MAHWAH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 2012 | Lightning | DEMAREST | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2007 | Flood | RUTHERFORD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | MAHWAH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | PARAMUS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two teenagers were killed and two were injured when they were struck by lightning at Memorial Field in Montvale.The teens were playing soccer and were struck by lightning as they ran off the field during a heavy down pour. They suffered severe burns and trauma.
A microburst occurred in Harrington Park along a west to east running path one-quarter mile long and 200 yards wide. This path was roughly from 21 Harriot Avenue, where it appears the microburst made first contact with the ground, to the western border of the town. The microburst brought down multiple large tree branches, and a few large trees, causing damage to 5 to 10 houses and some parked cars, including a 2008 limited edition Mustang Bullitt. Based on the damage, peak winds from this microburst were estimated at around 90 mph. In addition, multiple trees were downed in Old Tappan near where the Hackensack River goes through the town.
Based upon radar imagery and spotter reports of damage, it has been determined that a microburst impacted the town of Fair Lawn, with an estimated peak wind speed of 110 mph. The path length of the microburst was just under 1 mile, with a maximum width of around 350 yards. The microburst tracked from Whitehall Street to Northern Drive, from southwest to northeast across the southern portion of the town. Damage across the town included: A lamp post/light pole toppled at Route 4 near 26th street; a roof blown off a one-story commercial building at 27th street and Broadway; A tree clipping the roof of a home and landing on an SUV at the corner of Midland Avenue and Cambridge Road; Numerous trees down on Broadway, Northern Drive, Whitehall Street, Berkshire Road and Midland Avenue.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
962,316
Population (ACS)
$623K
Median home value
32
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 |
| Jun 8, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ridgewood 119
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bergen County, New Jersey?
897 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 10 direct deaths and $77.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bergen County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 352 recorded events — 39.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bergen County?
9 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 Bergen County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bergen County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bergen County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bergen County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bergen 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
- Atlantic County 426
- Burlington County 1,141
- Camden County 638
- Cape May County 342
- Cumberland County 420
- Essex County 400
Cite this page
“Bergen County, New Jersey.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-jersey/bergen-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.