NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Towaco, 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
39 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Towaco, New Jersey since 1851, 5 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 48 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 5
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 48
- 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 Towaco
The strongest storm to pass near Towaco was Donna in 1960, a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 27 miles. The record near Towaco begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 49 miles away. Of the 39 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site, 81% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Towaco. The highest rating among the 48 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1973, came within 12 miles. Of the 48, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2023. Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Towaco. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 455 New Jersey cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Towaco.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Towaco
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 59 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 74 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 72 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 27 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 66 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 37 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 Towaco: 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 Towaco
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s6
- 2000s3
- 1990s11
- 1980s12
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 19 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1970 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1962 | F2 | 14 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1956 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2023 | EF1 | 18 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 2019 | EF1 | 11 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2013 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2010 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.87 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Aug 8, 2007 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 48, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Towaco
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of Towaco since 1974, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently July 22, 2019. The most recent report is from June 22, 2024. July has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Towaco
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Boonton 1 SE, NJ, 3 miles southwest of Towaco 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 39 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (16); 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%). Lincoln Park, 3 miles east, has its own station (Caldwell Essex Co Airport, NJ): 44.9 inches a year, 4.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station The Battery, NY, 23 miles southeast, averaged 74°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Bergen Point tide gauge, 22 miles from Towaco, has risen 1.86 ± 0.13 inches per decade from 1981 to 2024, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 18.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 114 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 21 | 3.7 | 6 | 41 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 2.8 | 6 | 39 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 | 42 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 3.6 | 7 | 49 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.0 | 8 | 58 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.9 | 8 | 66 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.7 | 8 | 73 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.7 | 7 | 74 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 4.7 | 6 | 72 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 4.5 | 6 | 65 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 4.1 | 6 | 56 |
| Dec | 42 | 26 | 4.4 | 8 | 46 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 49.3 | 83 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Boonton 1 SE, NJ (280 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 Towaco
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 418 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Towaco: 204 thunderstorm wind reports, 124 flash floods, 55 floods, 22 lightning strikes and 13 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $30.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on October 7, 2013. August has had the most flash floods, 41 of 124. Of the 455 New Jersey cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than Towaco.
April 15, 2007: flood 5 miles from the centre of Towaco — 1 killed, $4.0 million damage.
August 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Towaco — 1 killed.
August 28, 2011: heavy rain event 9 miles from the centre of Towaco — 1 killed.
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
Morris County, which includes Towaco, 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 Towaco
- Montville, NJ2 mi
- Lincoln Park, NJ3 mi
- Pequannock, NJ3 mi
- Lake Hiawatha, NJ3 mi
- Pine Brook, NJ4 mi
- Boonton, NJ4 mi
- Pompton Plains, NJ4 mi
- Fairfield, NJ4 mi
- Kinnelon, NJ5 mi
- Riverdale, NJ5 mi
- Wayne, NJ5 mi
- Mountain Lakes, NJ5 mi
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