NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Medford, 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
47 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Medford, New Jersey since 1851, 7 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 40
- Tornadoes
- 65
- 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 Medford
The strongest storm to pass near Medford was Donna in 1960, a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Sandy in 2012, whose centre came within 19 miles. The record near Medford begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 10 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 47 systems, 10 have come since 2000. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site, 46% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Medford. The highest rating among the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 1, 2021, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F0 on October 27, 2003, killed 1 person. Of the 65, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Medford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 455 New Jersey cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 91 times since 1969, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Medford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 74% of the 455 New Jersey cities.
Compare Medford's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Medford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 10 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 19 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 15 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 55 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 68 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 68 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 35 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 54 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 49 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 64 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 Medford: 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 Medford
By decade
- 2020s16(2 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s6
- 1990s14
- 1980s11
- 1970s2
- 1960s3
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF3 | 16 mi | 12.37 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF3 | 19 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 17 mi | 20.77 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 16 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 1993 | F2 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1989 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 17, 1988 | F2 | 25 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1960 | F2 | 18 mi | 15.6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 14, 1958 | F2 | 9 mi | 9.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1958 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF1 | 18 mi | 8.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Medford
The Storm Prediction Center has 91 hail reports within 10 miles of Medford since 1969, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 23, 1969. The most recent report is from September 8, 2023. May has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Medford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Indian Mills 2 W, NJ, 5 miles southeast of Medford at 100 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. August is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 50.5 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (27.2 of 50.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 47 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (20); a normal September there has highs of 78°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. Snowfall averages 23.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.5 inches is more than at 39 of the 51 New Jersey stations used on this site (76%). Marlton, 5 miles west, has its own station (Mt Holly S Jersey Airport, NJ): 42.9 inches a year, 7.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Burlington, Delaware River, NJ, 15 miles north, averaged 80°F in July and 37°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July. Sea level at the Philadelphia tide gauge, 18 miles from Medford, has risen 1.24 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1900 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 12.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 73 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 | 42 | 24 | 3.7 | 7 | 6.0 | 37 |
| Feb | 45 | 24 | 3.0 | 6 | 8.9 | 37 |
| Mar | 53 | 31 | 4.5 | 7 | 3.9 | 45 |
| Apr | 65 | 40 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.5 | 54 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 | 64 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Jul | 87 | 64 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 | 80 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 | 78 |
| Sep | 78 | 55 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 67 | 44 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 | 62 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.3 | 50 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 4.6 | 8 | 3.9 | 39 |
| Year | 65 | 43 | 50.5 | 81 | 23.5 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Indian Mills 2 W, NJ (100 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Burlington, Delaware River, 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 Medford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 388 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Medford: 319 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 flash floods, 24 floods, 12 lightning strikes and 8 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $18.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 31, 2009. June has had the most flash floods, 11 of 25. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 91 have had fewer than Medford.
June 24, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Medford — 1 killed, 2 injured.
June 23, 2015: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Medford — 5 injured, $8.0 million damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm hit Medford Township very hard and caused approximately eight million dollars in property damage. Hundreds upon hundreds of trees were either uprooted or snapped.”
July 31, 2009: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Medford — 2 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A damaging microburst from a severe thunderstorm knocked down hundreds of trees and damaged dozens of homes in Medford Lakes Borough and Medford Township. Both municipalities declared states of emergency as there were approximately a combined 1,200 weather related calls in both municipalities.”
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 Medford's ZIP code 08055 have filed 257 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $4.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from April 2007 Nor'easter in 2007: 30 claims (12% of all) and $445,000, then Hurricane Irene in 2011 with 21 and Mid-spring storms in 2014 with 16. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 68. 29% 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, 280 have fewer than Medford.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| April 2007 Nor'easter2007 | 30 | $445,000 |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 21 | $296,000 |
| Mid-spring storms2014 | 16 | $165,000 |
Burlington County, which includes Medford, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 6 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Burlington County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $175.8 million a year, the 9th highest of 21 New Jersey counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $121.5 million (69%), 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.