NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Atlantic City, NJ
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
64 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Atlantic City, New Jersey since 1851, 12 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 12
- Tropical storms
- 52
- Tornadoes
- 19
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Atlantic City
The strongest storm to pass near Atlantic City was an unnamed storm in 1944, a Category 2 hurricane with 107 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Sandy in 2012, whose centre came within 3 miles. The record near Atlantic City begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 50 miles away. The 1900s and the 2000s were the busiest decades, with 7 systems each. Of the 64 systems, 15 have come since 2000. Atlantic City has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 94% of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site. The strongest of the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on July 21, 1983; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 19, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 5 each. The most recent tornado was on April 1, 2023. Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Atlantic City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 23 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Atlantic City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Atlantic City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 10 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 29 | 3 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | Twenty-TwoOct 14 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | GastonAug 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 15 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 17 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 23 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 41 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 37 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 14 | 47 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormSep 19 | 74 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 8 | 46 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 4 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 15 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 19 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 30 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 29 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 12 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormSep 10 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 18 | 40 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Atlantic City: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Atlantic City
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s3
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 1983 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 20, 1999 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 21, 1987 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 27, 1971 | F2 | 19 mi | 28.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 1970 | F2 | in town | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1956 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 2021 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF1 | 23 mi | 3.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF1 | 14 mi | 4.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2001 | F1 | 7 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1979 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Atlantic City
The Storm Prediction Center has 23 hail reports within 10 miles of Atlantic City since 1974, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 14, 2004. The most recent report is from July 21, 2021. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Atlantic City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Atlantic City, NJ, 1 mile northeast of Atlantic City at 10 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 30°F. March and October are the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and May the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 43.8 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (22.4 of 43.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 64 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (27); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 56 nights a year. That 43.8 inches is more than at 5 of the 51 New Jersey stations used on this site (10%). Pleasantville, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Atlantic City International Airport, NJ): 46.0 inches a year, 2.2 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 80°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Atlantic City, NJ, 1 mile southeast, averaged 72°F in September and 40°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Atlantic City tide gauge, 1 mile from Atlantic City, has risen 1.67 ± 0.03 inches per decade from 1911 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 16.7 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 104 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 30 | 3.1 | 6 | 41 |
| Feb | 43 | 31 | 3.3 | 6 | 40 |
| Mar | 48 | 37 | 4.3 | 7 | 44 |
| Apr | 57 | 46 | 3.4 | 6 | 51 |
| May | 66 | 55 | 3.1 | 6 | 58 |
| Jun | 75 | 65 | 3.2 | 5 | 64 |
| Jul | 80 | 71 | 3.8 | 6 | 69 |
| Aug | 79 | 70 | 4.1 | 5 | 72 |
| Sep | 74 | 65 | 3.6 | 5 | 72 |
| Oct | 65 | 54 | 4.3 | 6 | 65 |
| Nov | 55 | 43 | 3.4 | 6 | 55 |
| Dec | 47 | 35 | 4.2 | 7 | 45 |
| Year | 61 | 50 | 43.8 | 70 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Atlantic City, NJ (10 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Atlantic City, NJ, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Atlantic City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 99 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Atlantic City: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 15 heavy rain events, 14 lightning strikes and 10 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 14, and the NWS estimated $5.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on October 14, 2003. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 20. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 62 have had fewer than Atlantic City.
September 15, 2011: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Atlantic City — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “A 40-year-old male construction worker was killed and two others were injured after they were struck by lightning while working on the Revel Casino Project in Atlantic City off of Connecticut Avenue. They were pouring concrete on the 7th floor when the bucket lift they were using was struck by lightning.”
June 7, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Atlantic City — 10 injured.
August 2, 2009: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Atlantic City — 2 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Atlantic City's ZIP code 08401 have filed 5,943 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $116.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Sandy in 2012: 2,977 claims (50% of all) and $98.3 million, then December Storm - Nor'easter in 1992 with 967 and Flooding in 1984 with 824. 90% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 395 New Jersey cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 390 have fewer than Atlantic City.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Sandy2012 | 2,977 | $98.3 million |
| December Storm - Nor'easter1992 | 967 | $8.2 million |
| Flooding1984 | 824 | $3.7 million |
| Hurricane Gloria1985 | 352 | $1.4 million |
| Winter Storm Jonas2016 | 76 | $895,000 |
| The "Halloween" Storm1991 | 67 | $426,000 |
Atlantic County, which includes Atlantic City, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 6 snowstorms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Atlantic County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for coastal flooding and strong wind; Relatively High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $123.3 million a year, the 13th highest of 21 New Jersey counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $50.2 million (41%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Atlantic City
- Ventnor City, NJ3 mi
- Brigantine, NJ4 mi
- Margate City, NJ4 mi
- Pleasantville, NJ5 mi
- Northfield, NJ6 mi
- Linwood, NJ7 mi
- Absecon, NJ7 mi
- Galloway, NJ8 mi
- Egg Harbor Township, NJ9 mi
- Somers Point, NJ9 mi
- Pomona, NJ10 mi
- Ocean City, NJ11 mi
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