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Hail history in New Jersey

We counted the days with NOAA hail reports within 15 miles of the center of 2 New Jersey cities since 2010.

Brick mid-rise apartments and older commercial blocks under heavy grey clouds
Hail days near Trenton since 2010, the most in New Jersey
30
Largest hail reported, near Trenton
1.75 in
New Jersey cities tracked
2

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

New Jersey cities by hail days

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

CityHail days since 2010Largest hail
Trenton301.75 in
Atlantic City111.25 in

About this data

  • Each city counts reports within 15 miles of its center, not of any one property.
  • Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
  • No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
  • This is not a damage or insurance assessment.

Storm risk in New Jersey

For commercial and multifamily buildings in New Jersey, flooding from rivers, heavy rain and coastal surge is the storm risk that matters most, followed by hurricanes and nor'easters, damaging thunderstorm wind, hail and the occasional tornado. Hurricanes rarely strike the state directly, with 4 direct hits from 1851 to 2018, all Category 1, but New Jersey had 31 flood-related federal disaster declarations from 1954 to 2023, about one every two years. Severe thunderstorms are reported less often than in much of the US: the area around the Philadelphia radar ranks 68th of 141 US radar areas for severe weather reports.2,3,4

How often storms hit New Jersey

Storm hazards for buildings in New Jersey1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
HazardHow oftenWhat it means for buildings
Flooding31 flood-related federal disaster declarations from 1954 to 2023, and more than 76,500 properties in the 1 percent annual chance flood area. As of June 2023, 17,228 properties had flooded often enough to count as NFIP repetitive loss properties.Floodwater ruins ground floors, basements, elevator pits and electrical rooms, and the same low-lying buildings tend to flood again.
Hurricanes, tropical storms and nor'easters4 hurricane direct hits from 1851 to 2018, all Category 1. The state plan expects a hurricane once every 18 to 20 years along the coast, a major hurricane once every 68 to 76 years, and at least one nor'easter every year.Coastal buildings face surge, waves and wind, and the heavy rain from tropical systems and nor'easters floods rivers well inland.
Damaging thunderstorm windDamaging wind reports on 39 days a year on average within 124 nautical miles of the Philadelphia radar (1980 to 2006). The state plan says high wind events happen several times a year in most years.Gusts lift roof edges and membranes, topple rooftop units and signs, and drop trees on buildings and parking.
HailHail days since 2010 within 15 miles of the city center: Trenton 30, with hail up to 1.75 inches, and Atlantic City 11, with hail up to 1.25 inches. Within 124 nautical miles of the Philadelphia radar, hail fell on 18 days a year on average (1980 to 2006).Most hail is under an inch across, but larger stones can crack skylights, bruise roof membranes and bend condenser fins.
TornadoesAbout two a year, most of them weak and short-lived.Damage is usually local to roofs, siding and trees, but even a short track can cross a building.
Winter storms and iceFEMA's National Risk Index, as the state plan reports it, expects 2.43 to 5.57 winter weather events and 0.25 to 1.74 ice storms a year per county, with more snow in the north.Snow drifts against parapets, roof steps and rooftop equipment and piles into concentrated loads on flat roofs, ice brings down trees and power lines, and cold snaps freeze pipes and sprinkler lines.

The city counts are days with at least one hail report within 15 miles of each city's center since 2010, not hits on any one roof. The Storm Prediction Center figures count report days in a much wider circle, 124 nautical miles around the Philadelphia radar, from 1980 to 2006.1,4

Hurricanes and nor'easters matter here as much for their water as for their wind. Surge on the coast and heavy rain inland cause much of the damage, which is why flood rules fill most of the list below.

Rules owners in New Jersey should know

  • FAIR Plan: the New Jersey Insurance Underwriting Association's commercial program takes all real property other than 1 to 4 family dwellings, farm property and auto risks, and covers fire, wind and hail but not flood. Building limits run from $500,000 for frame to $1,100,000 for fire resistive construction, with $1,500,000 the most per location, and losses are paid at actual cash value.11
  • FAIR Plan storm freeze: the Association accepts no new policy with windstorm coverage, and no increase in windstorm coverage, while a hurricane watch or warning is in effect for any part of New Jersey, and the freeze lasts until 24 hours after the National Weather Service lifts it.11
  • Claim timing (N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7): insurers must start investigating a claim within 10 working days of notice and, unless a clear justification exists, pay first party property claims within 30 calendar days of a properly executed proof of loss. An insurer that needs longer must say why in writing and update the claimant every 45 days, and must pay an agreed amount within 10 working days.12
  • Flood notice to tenants (N.J.S.A. 46:8-50): since March 20, 2024, landlords of commercial space and of most residential rentals must tell each tenant in writing, before a lease is signed or renewed, whether the property is in FEMA's Special or Moderate Risk Flood Hazard Area and whether they know of past flooding, parking areas included. A tenant who was not told may end the lease.13,14
  • Inland flood elevations: since July 17, 2023, the DEP's Inland Flood Protection Rule sets the design flood elevation in non-tidal flood areas 2 feet above the flood elevation the DEP maps, for new and reconstructed buildings only. Under N.J.A.C. 7:13-12.5, the lowest floor of a new commercial or multi-residence building must sit at least 1 foot above that design flood elevation, with limited floodproofing options for non-residential space.15,16

Before the next storm

  • Early hurricane changes: make wind coverage changes before the Atlantic hurricane season opens on June 1, because the New Jersey FAIR Plan stops adding wind coverage as soon as a hurricane watch is posted.17,11
  • Flood zone lookup: check each building on the DEP's flood disclosure lookup tool before leasing, since the same answer goes on the tenant flood notice.14
  • Flood policy timing: FEMA says a new NFIP policy typically takes effect 30 days after purchase, so changes made once a storm is forecast usually come too late.18
  • Sprinkler freeze watch: keep building heat above 40°F, heat sprinkler control rooms, and have a central station monitor the sprinkler system, as IBHS recommends, so a pipe failure is caught early.19

Sources

Written by the Cloudbreak team. Numbers, dates and rules cite the published sources below.

  1. 1. Cloudbreak: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center storm reports, as counted on the Cloudbreak hail history page for New Jersey
  2. 2. NOAA Hurricane Research Division (Chris Landsea, NHC): TCFAQ E19: How many direct hits by hurricanes of various categories have affected each state?
  3. 3. New Jersey Office of Emergency Management: New Jersey State Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024, Section 4.7: Flood
  4. 4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: DIX (Philadelphia) Severe Weather Climatology, 1980 to 2006
  5. 5. New Jersey Office of Emergency Management: New Jersey State Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024, Section 4.10: Severe Weather
  6. 6. Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist, Rutgers University: Tornado Climatology of New Jersey
  7. 7. New Jersey Office of Emergency Management: New Jersey State Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024, Section 4.9: Hurricane, Nor'easter and Tropical Storm
  8. 8. New Jersey Office of Emergency Management: New Jersey State Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024, Section 7.0: Repetitive Loss Strategy
  9. 9. New Jersey Office of Emergency Management: New Jersey State Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024, Section 4.11: Severe Winter Weather
  10. 10. FEMA: Snow Load Safety Guidance (FEMA P-957)
  11. 11. New Jersey Insurance Underwriting Association (New Jersey FAIR Plan): Producer's Guide
  12. 12. New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (text via Cornell LII): N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7: Rules for prompt investigation and settlement of claims
  13. 13. New Jersey Legislature: P.L. 2023, c.93, amending N.J.S.A. 46:8-50 (flood notice to tenants)
  14. 14. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Flood Disclosure Law
  15. 15. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Inland Flood Protection Rule
  16. 16. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (text via Cornell LII): N.J.A.C. 7:13-12.5: Requirements for a building
  17. 17. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Climatology
  18. 18. FEMA: Waiting Period for Activating Flood Policy?
  19. 19. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): Commercial Risk Engineering Bulletin: Winter Weather

Storms in New Jersey

Thunderstorms are most likely from June through August and peak in July, and the interior and north of the state get about twice as many as the coast, New Jersey's state hazard mitigation plan says.1 The plan says storms with golf ball size or larger hail do not happen every year in New Jersey, and NOAA's hail odds are lowest along the coast and in the southeast.1

Notable storms

  1. May 20, 2022Hail up to 2.5 inches across fell in Westmont near Cherry Hill and in Indian Mills in Burlington County. Hail 1.5 inches across fell in Marlton and Gibbsboro.2,3,4,5
  2. September 1, 2021As Ida's remnants passed, an EF3 tornado with winds estimated at 150 mph tracked about 12.4 miles from Harrisonville toward Deptford, up to 400 yards wide. Several homes lost roofs or exterior walls, one home was destroyed, and farm barns were destroyed. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $5 million in property damage.6
  3. July 8, 2021Hail up to 2.5 inches across fell near Hillsdale in Bergen County, with 2-inch hail in Hillsdale and golf ball size hail in Westwood.7,8,9
  4. June 23, 2015Storms with gusts estimated up to 85 mph crossed southern New Jersey, hitting Gloucester County hardest. Wind damaged shingles on many homes in East Greenwich Township, and falling trees damaged homes in Medford, Hammonton and Cherry Hill. NOAA's Storm Events Database puts property damage across the region at about $31 million.10,11,12,13
  5. July 3, 2014Tennis ball size hail, 2.5 inches across, fell in the Oak Ridge section of Jefferson Township in Morris County. Hail up to 1.5 inches across fell around Oak Ridge in Passaic County.14,15
  6. October 29, 2012Sandy came ashore near Brigantine as a post-tropical cyclone with 70-knot (81 mph) winds, and its surge reached 8.57 feet above normal tide at Sandy Hook. The governor's office estimated 346,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed, 22,000 left uninhabitable, with the worst damage in Monmouth and Ocean counties. NHC counted 12 direct deaths in the state.16

Warnings and alerts

NWS Mount Holly covers most of New Jersey, and NWS New York covers Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Hudson and Union counties.17 New Jersey's Office of Emergency Management says residents can get New Jersey State Police alerts through Nixle by texting their ZIP code to 888777 or registering at nixle.com.18

Sources

  1. 1. New Jersey Office of Emergency Management: New Jersey State Hazard Mitigation Plan, Section 4.10: Severe Weather
  2. 2. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Camden County hail in Westmont, May 20, 2022
  3. 3. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Burlington County hail in Indian Mills, May 20, 2022
  4. 4. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Burlington County hail in Marlton, May 20, 2022
  5. 5. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Camden County hail in Gibbsboro, May 20, 2022
  6. 6. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Gloucester County EF3 tornado, September 1, 2021
  7. 7. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Bergen County hail in Hillsdale, July 8, 2021
  8. 8. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Bergen County hail in Hillsdale, July 8, 2021
  9. 9. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Bergen County hail in Westwood, July 8, 2021
  10. 10. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Gloucester County thunderstorm wind in East Greenwich, June 23, 2015
  11. 11. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Burlington County thunderstorm wind in Medford, June 23, 2015
  12. 12. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Atlantic County thunderstorm wind in Hammonton, June 23, 2015
  13. 13. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Camden County thunderstorm wind in Cherry Hill, June 23, 2015
  14. 14. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Morris County hail in Jefferson Township, July 3, 2014
  15. 15. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Passaic County hail around Oak Ridge, July 3, 2014
  16. 16. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Sandy (AL182012)
  17. 17. National Weather Service: New Jersey County Warning Forecast Areas
  18. 18. New Jersey Office of Emergency Management: Register Ready

Hail history in other states