NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dover, 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
36 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Dover, New Jersey since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 50 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 33
- Tornadoes
- 50
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Dover
The strongest storm to pass near Dover was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Dover begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 51 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 36 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site, 87% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Dover. The highest rating among the 50 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1973, came within 7 miles. Of the 50, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2023. Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dover. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dover.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dover
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 68 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 36 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 59 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 45 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 Dover: 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 Dover
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s6
- 2000s2
- 1990s13
- 1980s14
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2009 | EF2 | 25 mi | 6.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 26, 1981 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 8 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1974 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2023 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 2019 | EF1 | 11 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF1 | 7 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2016 | EF1 | 21 mi | 3.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2013 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 50, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dover
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Dover since 1975, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 11, 1995. The most recent report is from June 22, 2024. July has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dover
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Boonton 1 SE, NJ, 8 miles east of Dover at 280 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 49.3 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (26.6 of 49.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 36 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 4.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. That 49.3 inches is more than at 31 of the 51 New Jersey stations used on this site (61%). Mount Arlington, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Andover Aeroflex Airport, NJ): 48.8 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 21 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 3.6 | 7 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Dec | 42 | 26 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 49.3 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Boonton 1 SE, NJ (280 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. 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 Dover
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 323 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dover: 236 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 flash floods, 30 floods, 14 lightning strikes and 10 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $4.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 2, 2000. August has had the most flash floods, 10 of 33. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 123 have had fewer than Dover.
June 18, 2018: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Dover — 1 killed, 1 injured.
August 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Dover — 1 killed.
July 26, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Dover — 3 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees in Rockaway Township. One downed tree fell into one home in the township and injured two adults and one child.”
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 Dover's ZIP code 07801 have filed 674 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $8.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 2000: 149 claims (22% of all) and $1.2 million, then Hurricane Irene in 2011 with 86 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999 with 79. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 124. 73% 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, 340 have fewer than Dover.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding2000 | 149 | $1.2 million |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 86 | $2.1 million |
| Hurricane Floyd1999 | 79 | $950,000 |
| March 2010 Nor'easter2010 | 44 | $805,000 |
| Not a named storm1979 | 41 | $126,000 |
| Hurricane Ida2021 | 17 | $235,000 |
Morris County, which includes Dover, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 5 snowstorms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Morris County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $208.1 million a year, the 5th highest of 21 New Jersey counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $158.1 million (76%), 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 Dover
- Wharton, NJ2 mi
- Mine Hill, NJ3 mi
- Randolph, NJ3 mi
- Denville, NJ4 mi
- Rockaway, NJ4 mi
- Mount Arlington, NJ5 mi
- Morris Plains, NJ5 mi
- Ledgewood, NJ5 mi
- Landing, NJ6 mi
- Succasunna, NJ6 mi
- Mountain Lakes, NJ6 mi
- Lake Hopatcong, NJ6 mi
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