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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Monroe Township, 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 Monroe Township, New Jersey since 1851, 9 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
9

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
37

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
72

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
3

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Monroe Township

The strongest storm to pass near Monroe Township was an unnamed storm in 1944, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 28 miles. The record near Monroe Township begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 13 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 46 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Monroe Township has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site. The highest rating among the 72 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on October 18, 1990, came within 20 miles. Of the 72, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on June 14, 2024. Monroe Township has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 455 New Jersey cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1987, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Monroe Township.

Compare Monroe Township's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Monroe Township

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Monroe Township, New Jersey, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2021IdaSep 213 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 4
2021ElsaJul 952 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
2020IsaiasAug 447 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 1
2020FayJul 118 miTropical storm (39 mph)Tropical storm
2013AndreaJun 853 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2012SandyOct 3056 miCategory 1 (78 mph)Category 3
2011IreneAug 2818 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 3
2008HannaSep 715 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1999FloydSep 1635 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 4
1996BerthaJul 134 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1985GloriaSep 2748 miCategory 1 (89 mph)Category 4
1985HenriSep 2469 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1976BelleAug 1054 miCategory 1 (77 mph)Category 3
1972AgnesJun 2249 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
1971DoriaAug 2810 miTropical storm (62 mph)Tropical storm
1968Unnamed 1968 stormSep 1155 miTropical storm (60 mph)Tropical storm
1961Unnamed 1961 stormSep 1540 miTropical storm (62 mph)Tropical storm
1960DonnaSep 1261 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 4
1960BrendaJul 3022 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1955DianeAug 1912 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1952AbleSep 144 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1944Unnamed 1944 stormSep 1572 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 5
1944Unnamed 1944 stormAug 370 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1934Unnamed 1934 stormSep 864 miCategory 1 (76 mph)Category 2
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 199 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1924Unnamed 1924 stormSep 3011 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 1
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1753 miTropical storm (54 mph)Tropical storm
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 428 miTropical storm (56 mph)Category 1
1904Unnamed 1904 stormSep 1548 miCategory 1 (77 mph)Category 1
1903Unnamed 1903 stormSep 1630 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 2
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 1655 miTropical storm (44 mph)Tropical storm
1900Unnamed 1900 stormOct 1438 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 150 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 2
1897Unnamed 1897 stormSep 2460 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1894Unnamed 1894 stormOct 1054 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2953 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2428 miCategory 1 (87 mph)Category 3
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 1130 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 2254 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1882Unnamed 1882 stormSep 2443 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 541 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 2913 miTropical storm (66 mph)Category 1
1872Unnamed 1872 stormOct 2614 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1866Unnamed 1866 stormOct 3015 miTropical storm (62 mph)Tropical storm
1863Unnamed 1863 stormSep 193 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1861Unnamed 1861 stormSep 2820 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Monroe Township: 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 Monroe Township

By decade

  • 2020s13
  • 2010s9
  • 2000s6
  • 1990s18(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s13
  • 1970s2(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s7(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s4
Strongest tornadoes near Monroe Township, New Jersey
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Oct 18, 1990F320 mi0.5 mi0 / 8
Sep 26, 1977F35 mi5.9 mi0 / 0
Jun 24, 1960F38 mi12.9 mi0 / 0
Apr 1, 2023EF215 mi1.59 mi0 / 0
Apr 1, 2023EF213 mi2.1 mi0 / 0
Feb 21, 2023EF210 mi5.8 mi0 / 0
Jul 29, 2021EF222 mi6.31 mi0 / 0
May 27, 2001F26 mi1.5 mi0 / 0
Aug 17, 1988F218 mi4.5 mi0 / 0
May 24, 1962F211 mi16.6 mi0 / 1
Jun 13, 1958F216 mi0.1 mi0 / 1
Oct 16, 1955F219 mi3.8 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Monroe Township

The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Monroe Township since 1987, made on 35 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 2 days, most recently July 22, 2003. The most recent report is from September 9, 2023. July has the most reports, 20.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Monroe Township

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hightstown 2 W, NJ, 8 miles southwest of Monroe Township at 100 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.6 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (25.2 of 47.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 46 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (20); a normal September there has highs of 78°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 114 nights a year. Snowfall averages 23.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.6 inches is more than at 21 of the 51 New Jersey stations used on this site (41%). Helmetta, 3 miles north, has its own station (New Brunswick 3 SE, NJ): 49.5 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Newbold, PA, 22 miles southwest, 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 Sandy Hook tide gauge, 24 miles from Monroe Township, has risen 1.68 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1932 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 16.8 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 105 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Hightstown 2 W, NJ
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow inWater °F
Jan41213.575.837
Feb43232.668.038
Mar51304.374.645
Apr63393.770.654
May73484.180.064
Jun82584.680.073
Jul87634.870.080
Aug85614.370.078
Sep78544.260.072
Oct66424.060.061
Nov55333.360.349
Dec46274.274.439
Year644247.68023.758

Averages for 1991–2020 at Hightstown 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 Newbold, PA, 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.

New Jersey weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Monroe Township

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 285 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Monroe Township: 184 thunderstorm wind reports, 52 flash floods, 21 heavy rain events, 16 lightning strikes and 12 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 38, and the NWS estimated $30.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 7, 2000. August has had the most flash floods, 24 of 52. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 187 have had fewer than Monroe Township.

  • September 7, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Monroe Township — 1 killed, 30 injured.

  • July 18, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Monroe Township — 3 injured, $5,000 damage.

  • June 24, 2011: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Monroe Township — 2 injured.

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 Monroe Township's ZIP code 08831 have filed 163 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 71 claims (44% of all) and $3.2 million, then Tropical Storm Henri in 2021 with 36. 77% 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, 251 have fewer than Monroe Township.

Flood insurance claims in Monroe Township by named event
EventClaimsPaid
Hurricane Irene201171$3.2 million
Tropical Storm Henri202136$2.6 million

Middlesex County, which includes Monroe Township, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Middlesex County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and coastal flooding; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $282.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 21 New Jersey counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $196.8 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 Monroe Township