Hunterdon County, New Jersey severe weather history spans 582 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #635 nationally and #9 in New Jersey.
582
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$89.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Hunterdon County, New Jersey severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hunterdon County, New Jersey severe weather history averages 9.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 174 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 560 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hunterdon County, New Jersey record is flash flood, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $63.0M 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 Hunterdon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 327 | 2 | $266K | 87 | 1984–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 72 | 6 | $20.1M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 62 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Hail | 44 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1962–2023 |
| Flood | 41 | 1 | $63.0M | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Lightning | 23 | 1 | $302K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $5.5M | F2 | 1973–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2011 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Hunterdon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-02-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-09-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-02-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-02-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hunterdon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2021 | Flash Flood | RIEGEL RIDGE | 6 | 0 | $5.0M |
| Mar 18, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 28, 2006 | Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $7.5M |
| Jun 24, 2006 | Lightning | ALLERTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | EVERITTSTOWN | 0 | 10 | $100K |
| Aug 11, 2004 | Lightning | RINGOES | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 3 | $8.5M |
| Jul 24, 1997 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 3 | $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 Hunterdon County with numerous road closures. There were over 300 water rescues in the county. A total of six flood related fatalities were reported, one in Milford, one in East Amwell Township, and four in Raritan Township. Many buildings and homes were damaged by the flood waters. Most waterways in the county overflowed their banks, including the South Branch of the Raritan River, the Neshanic River and Spruce Run.
A severe thunderstorm caused wind damage across Hunterdon County, hitting the central part of the county the hardest in Alexandria, Franklin and Clinton Townships. Ten people suffered minor injuries at the Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Readington Township when tents were toppled and debris struck them. In Alexandria Township, the roof of a barn was torn away and a shed was totally damaged. Tree damage occurred in Clinton along New Jersey State Route 31 and County Route 929. About 5,000 homes and businesses lost power.
Lightning struck the shed of a Tewksbury Township home. A male in a nearby house complained of hearing loss after the lightning struck. Another lightning strike caused an abandoned house fire on Frontage Road in Franklin Township. The house was fully engulfed when fire fighters arrived. The house was planned on being razed for an affordable housing development.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
130,160
Population (ACS)
$517K
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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 14, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Oct 30, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hunterdon County, New Jersey?
582 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths and $89.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hunterdon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 327 recorded events — 56.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hunterdon 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 Hunterdon County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hunterdon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hunterdon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hunterdon County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hunterdon 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
- Hudson County 260
- Mercer County 536
- Gloucester County 553
- Middlesex County 611
- Essex County 400
- Monmouth County 730
Cite this page
“Hunterdon County, New Jersey.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-jersey/hunterdon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.