Union County, New Jersey severe weather history spans 435 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,116 nationally and #14 in New Jersey.
435
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$24.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Union County, New Jersey severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Union County, New Jersey severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 126 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 17 events fall before 1990 and 418 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Union County, New Jersey record is flash flood, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $9.7M 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 Union County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 178 | 3 | $3.5M | 80 | 1983–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 140 | 7 | $8.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 45 | 0 | $2.7M | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1987–2021 |
| Lightning | 15 | 0 | $63K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $9.7M | F1 | 1952–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2006 |
Decade by decade
Union 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
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-09-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-10-05 | EF1 | 0 | 8 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-08-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-07-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-09-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-07-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Union County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2021 | Flash Flood | ELIZABETH | 4 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2025 | Flash Flood | PLAINFIELD | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | PLAINFIELD | 2 | 0 | $15K |
| Nov 16, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | |
| Sep 2, 2021 | Flash Flood | KENILWORTH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 14, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | WINFIELD | 0 | 2 | $1K |
| May 15, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | CRANFORD | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Four people died due to flooding at the Oakwood Plaza apartment complex on Irvington Avenue in Elizabeth. All four people were found in one apartment and included a 74 year old woman, her 71 year old husband, their 38 year old son, and a 33 year old neighbor.
An F0 tornado touched down in a highly populated residential area from Northern Plainfield east across Southern Scotch Plains. Signs of rotation were evident in damage to trees and eyewitness reports included the sighting of funnel clouds. The Mayor of Plainfield estimated that the township lost at least 95 trees.
An F1 tornado occurred across Northcentral Clark. There was significant damage to large trees. A narrow path of large trees were sheared off more than midway down their trunks near the Cali Center at 100 Walnut Avenue. The Mayor of Clark estimated that the township lost at least 150 trees. Based on radar signatures and eyewitness reports, wind gusts were estimated at 110 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
579,290
Population (ACS)
$529K
Median home value
30
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 Union County, New Jersey?
435 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths and $24.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Union County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 178 recorded events — 40.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Union County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Union County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Union County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Union County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Union County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Union 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
- Sussex County 471
- Warren County 467
- Somerset County 619
- Salem County 281
- Passaic County 394
- Ocean County 792
Cite this page
“Union County, New Jersey.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-jersey/union-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.