NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Belleville, 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
44 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Belleville, New Jersey since 1851, 7 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 55 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 37
- Tornadoes
- 55
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Belleville
The strongest storm to pass near Belleville was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 15 miles. The record near Belleville begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 38 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 44 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site, 46% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Belleville. The strongest of the 55 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 28, 1973; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on September 16, 2010, killed 1 person. Of the 55, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2023. Belleville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 455 New Jersey cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 99 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Belleville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 455 New Jersey cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Belleville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 47 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 62 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 66 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 59 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 63 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 59 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 15 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Belleville: 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 Belleville
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s10
- 2000s5
- 1990s11
- 1980s13
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 2007 | EF2 | 14 mi | 3.92 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jul 12, 2006 | F2 | 24 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 15, 1970 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1962 | F2 | 11 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1956 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF1 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jun 26, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 2019 | EF1 | 12 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2013 | EF1 | 10 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 2012 | EF1 | 18 mi | 4.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2010 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.87 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 55, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Belleville
The Storm Prediction Center has 99 hail reports within 10 miles of Belleville since 1962, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently July 6, 2020. The most recent report is from September 8, 2023. July has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Belleville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Harrison, NJ, 3 miles south of Belleville at 24 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 25°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 50.7 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 50.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 44 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (20); a normal September there has highs of 78°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.2 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.7 inches is more than at 41 of the 51 New Jersey stations used on this site (80%). Lyndhurst, 2 miles northeast, has its own station (Teterboro Airport, NJ): 46.4 inches a year, 4.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station The Battery, NY, 10 miles southeast, averaged 74°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the The Battery tide gauge, 10 miles from Belleville, has risen 1.16 ± 0.02 inches per decade from 1856 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 11.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 66 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 25 | 3.7 | 7 | 8.0 | 41 |
| Feb | 42 | 26 | 3.3 | 6 | 8.4 | 39 |
| Mar | 50 | 33 | 4.3 | 7 | 4.7 | 42 |
| Apr | 62 | 43 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.7 | 49 |
| May | 72 | 54 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 | 58 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Jul | 87 | 69 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Aug | 85 | 67 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 | 74 |
| Sep | 78 | 60 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 66 | 48 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.2 | 65 |
| Nov | 54 | 38 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.3 | 56 |
| Dec | 44 | 31 | 4.6 | 8 | 5.9 | 46 |
| Year | 63 | 46 | 50.7 | 79 | 28.2 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Harrison, NJ (24 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station The Battery, NY, 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 Belleville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 898 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Belleville: 409 flash floods, 365 thunderstorm wind reports, 96 floods, 27 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 21 people and injured 39, and the NWS estimated $25.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on October 7, 2013. July has had the most flash floods, 129 of 409. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 440 have had fewer than Belleville.
September 1, 2021: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Belleville — 4 killed.
August 28, 2011: flood 3 miles from the centre of Belleville — 2 killed.
September 1, 2021: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Belleville — 2 killed.
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 Belleville's ZIP code 07109 have filed 236 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $12.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ida in 2021: 61 claims (26% of all) and $4.8 million, then Hurricane Irene in 2011 with 52 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 with 28. 83% 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, 276 have fewer than Belleville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ida2021 | 61 | $4.8 million |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 52 | $2.6 million |
| Hurricane Sandy2012 | 28 | $2.9 million |
| Hurricane Floyd1999 | 25 | $375,000 |
| April 2007 Nor'easter2007 | 20 | $211,000 |
Essex County, which includes Belleville, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 6 floods, 6 severe storms, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Essex County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $214.1 million a year, the 4th highest of 21 New Jersey counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $149.3 million (70%), 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 Belleville
- North Arlington, NJ2 mi
- Bloomfield, NJ2 mi
- Nutley, NJ2 mi
- Lyndhurst, NJ2 mi
- Glen Ridge, NJ2 mi
- Kearny, NJ2 mi
- East Orange, NJ3 mi
- Harrison, NJ3 mi
- Montclair, NJ3 mi
- Rutherford, NJ4 mi
- Newark, NJ4 mi
- East Rutherford, NJ4 mi
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