NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cliffside Park, 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
46 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cliffside Park, New Jersey since 1851, 8 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 53 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 8
- Tropical storms
- 38
- Tornadoes
- 53
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Cliffside Park
The strongest storm to pass near Cliffside Park was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 7 miles. The record near Cliffside Park begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 36 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 46 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Cliffside Park has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 53% of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site. The highest rating among the 53 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on August 8, 2007, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on September 16, 2010, killed 1 person. Of the 53, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on November 13, 2021. Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cliffside Park. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Cliffside Park has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 455 New Jersey cities.
Compare Cliffside Park's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cliffside Park
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 39 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 55 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 71 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 57 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 51 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 59 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 52 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 7 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cliffside Park: 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 Cliffside Park
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s10
- 2000s5
- 1990s12
- 1980s11
- 1970s10
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2007 | EF2 | 13 mi | 3.92 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jul 12, 2006 | F2 | 18 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 15, 1970 | F2 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1962 | F2 | 9 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1956 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF1 | 10 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Oct 31, 2019 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2013 | EF1 | 9 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 2012 | EF1 | 14 mi | 4.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2010 | EF1 | 7 mi | 0.87 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Aug 8, 2007 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 53, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cliffside Park
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Cliffside Park since 1962, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 15, 2008. The most recent report is from September 8, 2023. August has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cliffside Park
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New York Cntrl Pk Twr, NY, 3 miles south of Cliffside Park at 130 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 28°F. July and August are the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 49.6 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 (26.0 of 49.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 46 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (21); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.6 inches is more than at 34 of the 51 New Jersey stations used on this site (67%). Ridgefield, 1 mile northwest, has its own station (Teterboro Airport, NJ): 46.4 inches a year, 3.2 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station The Battery, NY, 9 miles south, 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, 9 miles from Cliffside Park, 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 | 40 | 28 | 3.6 | 6 | 8.8 | 41 |
| Feb | 42 | 30 | 3.2 | 6 | 10.1 | 39 |
| Mar | 50 | 36 | 4.3 | 8 | 5.0 | 42 |
| Apr | 62 | 46 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.4 | 49 |
| May | 71 | 55 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 58 |
| Jun | 80 | 64 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Jul | 85 | 70 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Aug | 83 | 69 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 | 74 |
| Sep | 76 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 65 | 51 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.1 | 65 |
| Nov | 54 | 42 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.5 | 56 |
| Dec | 44 | 34 | 4.4 | 7 | 4.9 | 46 |
| Year | 63 | 49 | 49.6 | 79 | 29.8 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New York Cntrl Pk Twr, NY (130 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 Cliffside Park
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 840 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cliffside Park: 367 thunderstorm wind reports, 365 flash floods, 75 floods, 29 lightning strikes and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 21 people and injured 43, and the NWS estimated $306.7 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, 114 of 365. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 418 have had fewer than Cliffside Park.
September 1, 2021: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Cliffside Park — 3 killed.
August 28, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Cliffside Park — 2 killed.
May 14, 2017: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Cliffside Park — 1 killed, 6 injured, $2,000 damage.
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
Bergen County, which includes Cliffside Park, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bergen County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for coastal flooding and strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $321.8 million a year, the highest of 21 New Jersey counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $216.8 million (67%), 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 Cliffside Park
- Fairview, NJunder 1 mi
- Edgewater, NJ1 mi
- Ridgefield, NJ1 mi
- Palisades Park, NJ2 mi
- Fort Lee, NJ2 mi
- North Bergen, NJ2 mi
- West New York, NJ3 mi
- Leonia, NJ3 mi
- Ridgefield Park, NJ3 mi
- New York, NY3 mi
- Little Ferry, NJ3 mi
- Moonachie, NJ4 mi
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