NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Frenchtown, 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
33 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Frenchtown, New Jersey since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 31
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Frenchtown
The strongest storm to pass near Frenchtown was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1878, whose centre came within 50 miles. The record near Frenchtown begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 35 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 33 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site, 93% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Frenchtown. The highest rating among the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 18, 1990, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on September 1, 2021, killed 1 person. Of the 68, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2025. Frenchtown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 79% of the 455 New Jersey cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 26 times since 2001, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Frenchtown.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Frenchtown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | overhead | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 59 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 | 32 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 | 50 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Frenchtown: 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 Frenchtown
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s4
- 2000s4
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s8
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 18, 1990 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 24, 1960 | F3 | 22 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.28 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Feb 21, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF2 | 12 mi | 6.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 14 mi | 20.77 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Aug 17, 1988 | F2 | 21 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1974 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 2, 1973 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1962 | F2 | 14 mi | 16.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Frenchtown
The Storm Prediction Center has 26 hail reports within 10 miles of Frenchtown since 2001, made on 18 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently May 29, 2019. The most recent report is from September 8, 2023. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Frenchtown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bucksville, PA, 9 miles west of Frenchtown at 387 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 51.0 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (27.9 of 51.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 33 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from May to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. That 51.0 inches is more than at 44 of the 51 New Jersey stations used on this site (86%). Stockton, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Lambertville, NJ): 50.4 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 19 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Feb | 41 | 20 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 50 | 28 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 63 | 39 | 3.9 | 5 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 5.8 | 6 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 54 | 31 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 51.0 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bucksville, PA (387 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 Frenchtown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 231 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Frenchtown: 180 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 14 floods, 8 heavy rain events and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 6 people and injured 15, and the NWS estimated $10.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 26, 2009. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 23. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 74 have had fewer than Frenchtown.
September 1, 2021: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Frenchtown — 6 killed, $6.0 million damage.
July 26, 2009: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Frenchtown — 10 injured, $100,000 damage.
September 7, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Frenchtown — 2 injured, $49,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Frenchtown's ZIP code 08825 have filed 130 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2006, with 35. 22% 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, 231 have fewer than Frenchtown.
Hunterdon County, which includes Frenchtown, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 7 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hunterdon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $68.5 million a year, the 17th highest of 21 New Jersey counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $49.9 million (73%), 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 Frenchtown
- Upper Black Eddy, PA5 mi
- Stockton, NJ6 mi
- Pittstown, NJ6 mi
- Milford, NJ7 mi
- Pipersville, PA7 mi
- Ottsville, PA7 mi
- Flemington, NJ9 mi
- Kintnersville, PA10 mi
- Bloomsbury, NJ10 mi
- Asbury, NJ10 mi
- Ringoes, NJ10 mi
- Lambertville, NJ11 mi
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