There have been at least 186 confirmed tornadoes in the U.S. state of New Jersey since 1950. On average, there are three tornadoes each year in the state, although there have been as many seven on a single day, which occurred both in 1989 and 2023. They have occurred in every month but December and January. The state's most active year was 1989, with 19 confirmed tornadoes. Most tornadoes in New Jersey have been weak and short-lived. However, an F2 twister in 1958 crossed of the southern portion of the state, the longest tracked event on record. It touched down in Camden County and ended in Ocean County. Ranked in intensity using the Fujita scale or Enhanced Fujita scale, there have been five F3 or EF3 twisters in the state since 1950, most recently in 2021. There have been at least three deadly tornadoes on record in the state, resulting in a collective 7 fatalities. A tornado in 1835 hit New Brunswick, killing five people. On August 25, 1941, a tornado in Gloucester County killed a person. In 2003, a tornado in Burlington County flung a tree limb onto three cars, killing one person.

Climatology Each year, three tornadoes on average touch down in New Jersey, most of them weak and short-lived. There were 19 confirmed tornadoes in 1989, the most in a year since the start of recordkeeping in the National Centers for Environmental Information. Several years, most recently in 2018, had no recorded tornadoes in the state. There is a possible undercount in unpopulated areas in South Jersey, including around the New Jersey Pine Barrens and in Salem and Cumberland counties.

Tornadoes

Pre-1900 July 13, 1783 July 24, 1803 May 22, 1804 – A small tornado touched down in Flemington in Hunterdon County, which killed a person due to a falling tree. This marked the earliest recorded death in the state from a tornado. The tornado also touched down in Somerset and Middlesex counties. June 19, 1835 – A tornado in New Brunswick killed five people. April 26, 1842 August 22, 1843 October 4, 1849 – Upper Township, Cape May County July 5, 1850 May 13, 1867 July 29, 1875 August 17, 1876 – Dyers Creek, Cape May County November 2, 1877 July 4, 1881 – Petersburg, Cape May County August 3, 1885 June 30, 1892 July 1, 1892 – Gloucester County tornadoGloucester, NJ tornado, Jun 1892 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods May 28, 1896 (part of a larger tornado outbreak sequence) August 1, 1899 – Union County tornado

1900s March 27, 1911 April 1, 1929 August 15, 1941 August 25, 1941 – An F2 tornado in Gloucester County killed a person. August 16, 1955 – An F2 or stronger tornado touched down in Monmouth County. October 16, 1955 May 6, 1956 – A short lived tornado touched down in a wooded area near Woodbine just after midnight. It caused approximately $25,000 in property damage. June 13, 1958 – There were three tornadoes in the state. An F2 tornado touched down in near Maple Shade in Camden County. It moved east across the state, until it eventually reached Barnegat Bay, where it became a waterspout. It crossed the bay and dissipated near Lavallette in Ocean County. Its path made it the longest tracked tornado on record in the state. Its width was about . July 14, 1960 – A tornado touched down near Carneys Point Township, lifted and touched back down. The tornado intensified as it crossed into Gloucester County, causing damage in Barnsboro and Sewell. A large barn was destroyed. Chicken houses and outbuildings were also destroyed. Homes suffered damage, especially to their roofs. The tornado spent most of its life in Gloucester County and dissipated in Sewell. May 24, 1962 July 15, 1970 – Bergen County November 4, 1970 – Atlantic County July 19, 1971 – An F1 tornado formed near Rutherford and moved east into East Rutherford. The roof of a warehouse was torn off, and a garage was demolished. Trees were uprooted and other forms of considerable damage occurred along its long path. August 27, 1971 – As Tropical Storm Doria moved through the East Coast after making landfall near Morehead City, North Carolina, it spawned a waterspout around 1 a.m. off the coast of Cape May that came onshore. Numerous homes in Cape May suffered severe damage to their roofs. It continued northward over the Cape May Airport. An electrical substation along the path was severely damaged. It crossed the Tuckahoe River into Atlantic County, where no more damage was reported. There was consistent and extensive tree damage as it crossed the county. The tornado was on the ground for , making it one of the longest tracked tornadoes in the state. The tornado was rated an F2, and Doria went on to cause record-breaking flooding across the state. February 2, 1973 – Storms brought an unseasonal three short-lived tornadoes to Hunterdon County. One was rated an F2, while the other two were rated an F1. The first tornado touched down in a corn field near Tewksbury Township, demolishing a barn and tearing a limb off of a tree. Another tornado formed east of Lebanon Township, damaging fences and vehicles. The final tornado touched down northwest of Califon, where it downed trees, unroofed a garage, and "exploded a wooden spring house". No injuries or fatalities were reported by these tornadoes. May 28, 1973 – Two F3 tornadoes struck Morris County. A dozen homes were destroyed and 12 people were injured in Flanders. It was rated an F3. April 14, 1974 – A squall line passing through the northern and central portions of the state triggered a short-lived tornado. Two brick homes in Lebanon Township were destroyed and a vehicle was destroyed by a falling roof. The tornado was rated an F2 and was on the ground for only . July 24, 1974 – Ocean County July 13, 1975 – Two tornadoes touched down across New Jersey, one in Cumberland County, and one in Bergen County. The first tornado touched down at around 6 a.m. near Seabrook, where a school suffered severe roof damage. A frozen food packaging plant in Seabrook was also severely damaged. Multiple residences were damaged, but the extent of the damage is unknown. The estimated property damage was $10,000,000, or . The tornado in Bergen County touched down at around 9:26 a.m., where the majority of the damage was trees being uprooted, with the exception of a senior citizens home that was damaged. Both tornadoes were rated an F2. October 26, 1981 – An F2 tornado touched down near Vienna in Warren County, downing hundreds of trees and utility poles. A barn and silo was destroyed, and two vehicles were destroyed. The tornado reached a maximum width of . June 29, 1982 – A tornado touched down in the afternoon near Berkeley Township in Ocean County, where it hit two retirement villages. Over 100 homes were damaged, 40 of which were damaged significantly. Flag poles were bent, and power lines were downed. Numerous vehicles were damaged, including four being totaled. No injuries or fatalities were reported by this tornado. The tornado was rated an F2. July 21, 1983 – In Ocean County, an F3 tornado that caused no fatalities or injuries. July 21, 1987 – An F2 tornado caused intermittent damage in Linwood, where trees were uprooted and snapped, as well as a brick wall being blown out. Three people were injured. July 26, 1987 – Two tornadoes formed in the morning, in the northern portion of the state. The first tornado touched down at 10 a.m. near Blairstown in Warren County, where large trees and power lines were downed. At the Blairstown Airport, a gust of was measured by an anemometer before it broke. It was associated with the tornado. Two aircraft at the airport were damaged. The tornado was rated an F0. The other tornado touched down in Union County, near the borough of Mountainside. Homes and vehicles suffered extensive damage, as well as fallen trees and power lines. This tornado was rated an F1. August 5, 1987 – A tornado touched down near Richland, downing trees and power lines. A trailer at the Buena Vista Campground in Buena Vista Township was overturned. Some trees were damaged. The tornado was rated an F0. July 20, 1988 – An F1 tornado touched down in Pedricktown in Salem County. The tornado was on the ground for . Damage was estimated to be at $75,000 to $100,000. July 23, 1988 – An F1 tornado briefly touched down in Upper Deerfield Township in Cumberland County during the night. The tornado was on the ground for . 1 person was injured. August 17, 1988 – A cold front spawned three tornadoes in the state, one in Hunterdon County, one in Salem County, and one in Ocean County. The first tornado was an F2 that touched down in Ewing Township, near the Trenton–Mercer Airport. It remained on the ground for , bringing down trees, power lines, and damaging buildings. Damage was estimated at $2.5 million. An F2 tornado touched down in Carneys Point Township in Salem County, uprooting large diameter trees that fell on automobiles, with the exception of one tree falling on a house. The tornado was on the ground for , and reached a maximum width of . An F0 tornado briefly touched down in Lakewood Township, uprooting trees along its path. Additionally, 14 people were injured when a circus tent in Lavallette was blown down due to the strong winds. March 18, 1989 – Three F1 tornadoes touched down across Gloucester County. The first tornado touched down near the Cedar Grove area of South Harrison Township, where two barns were damaged, causing about $15,000 in damage. The second tornado touched down southeast of Jefferson, overturning a shed and causing extensive tree damage, before lifting and touching back down near Sewell, where a farm was damaged. The last tornado affected the borough of Wenonah, where extensive tree damage continued. A large tree destroyed a house after falling on it. July 10, 1989 – Northeastern United States tornado outbreak. Two F0s and an F1 tracked through parts of Passaic County, New Jersey and Bergen County, New Jersey, snapping and uprooting trees, and causing $4 million in damage. About 150 houses damaged in Bergen County alone. November 15, 1989 – Part of a larger tornado outbreak, there were seven tornadoes across the state, setting a record for most events in a single day that was later tied in 2023. November 20, 1989 – A few days following the tornado outbreak, a tornado touched down near Seaside Park, unroofing a building and also causing considerable damage to the second floor. The windows of a vehicle were blown out. The tornado was rated an F0. May 10, 1990 – Two tornadoes touched down in Cumberland County, the first of which touched down near Deerfield Township, specifically in the Carmel area, uprooting and throwing hundreds of trees. A wind gust of was reported in Carmel. The tornado would lift and spawn an F2 tornado in Vineland shortly afterwards. The tornado would blow out a concrete wall, and then hit an automobile dealership, where windows in both the building and the cars were blown out. People inside the dealership suffered minor injuries from flying glass, but the exact number is unknown. October 18, 1990 – An F3 tornado touched down in Montgomery Township. Three homes were destroyed and 8 people were injured. June 24, 1992 – Washington Township, Morris County tornado August 21, 1993 – An F2 tornado touched down just near Hammonton in Atlantic County in the evening. It touched down and moved across Hammonton Lake, becoming a waterspout. There was extensive tree damage along the tornado's path, as well as houses and outbuildings being damaged. A wooden shed and boat dock were destroyed by the tornado. Damage was estimated to be about $500,000.