Ocean County, New Jersey Hurricane History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Ocean County, New Jersey as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1856, 30 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Ocean County, New Jersey — about one every 5.7 years. Of those, 7 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Elsa (2021), which passed 24 miles away on 9 July 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.7

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

How strong they get

Cat 2 · 1Cat 1 · 6TS / TD · 23

The 30 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentElsa (2021) — 24 mi away, 9 July 2021
Strongest stormDonna (1960) — 85 kt (98 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordIrene (2011) — 1.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles14 of 30
Peak monthSeptember — 14 storms (47% of all)
Most active year1960 — 2 storms
Most active decade1960s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1856–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Ocean County, New Jersey, September is the most active month, with 14 of the 30 recorded storms (47%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 87% of all activity. The 1960s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 30 storms were major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	0	2	4	8	14	2	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 10 storms in 1950–1987 against 6 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	2	2	2	3	1	0	0	2	1	1	4	3	2	2	1	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Elsa (2021)	9 Jul 2021	23.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Fay (2020)	10 Jul 2020	6.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Irene (2011)	28 Aug 2011	1.2 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Hanna (2008)	7 Sep 2008	15.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Floyd (1999)	16 Sep 1999	12.4 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Bertha (1996)	13 Jul 1996	26.4 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Gloria (1985)	27 Sep 1985	31.7 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Henri (1985)	24 Sep 1985	46.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Belle (1976)	10 Aug 1976	40.3 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Agnes (1972)	22 Jun 1972	48.2 mi	TS / TD	56 kt
Doria (1971)	28 Aug 1971	12.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1968)	11 Sep 1968	40.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1961)	15 Sep 1961	19.2 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Donna (1960)	12 Sep 1960	40.9 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Brenda (1960)	30 Jul 1960	3.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Diane (1955)	19 Aug 1955	45.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	3 Aug 1944	36.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	19 Aug 1939	48.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	8 Sep 1934	47.5 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	16 Sep 1903	31.7 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	24 Sep 1897	36.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	10 Oct 1894	33.3 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	24 Aug 1893	21.2 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	23 Jun 1886	18.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	24 Sep 1882	15.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	29 Sep 1874	15.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	26 Oct 1872	14.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	19 Sep 1863	30.7 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	28 Sep 1861	9.3 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	20 Aug 1856	45.7 mi	TS / TD	50 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 18 systems passed within 50 miles after losing tropical characteristics. These are excluded from the counts above because they were no longer tropical cyclones at their closest approach — but several were highly damaging, so they are listed here. Showing the 8 most recent.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Ida (2021)	Post-tropical	2 Sep 2021	23.3 mi	38 kt
Andrea (2013)	Post-tropical	8 Jun 2013	29.0 mi	40 kt
Sandy (2012)	Post-tropical	30 Oct 2012	28.3 mi	70 kt
Twenty-Two (2005)	Post-tropical	14 Oct 2005	30.5 mi	30 kt
Cindy (2005)	Post-tropical	8 Jul 2005	48.4 mi	25 kt
Charley (2004)	Post-tropical	15 Aug 2004	46.1 mi	35 kt
Gordon (2000)	Post-tropical	19 Sep 2000	8.9 mi	25 kt
Candy (1968)	Post-tropical	26 Jun 1968	26.4 mi	25 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1856–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the county's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

How Ocean County, New Jersey compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Ocean County, New Jersey ranks #528 — more exposed than 76.1% of them. Within New Jersey it ranks #1 of 21, against a state average of 20.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Donna (1960) passed 41 miles away on 12 September 1960 as a hurricane, reaching 85 kt (98 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Gloria (1985) passed 32 miles away on 27 September 1985 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 21 miles away on 24 August 1893 as a hurricane, reaching 78 kt (90 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 33 miles away on 10 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.

27 of the 30 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.7 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 30 storms spread over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025. 2 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 31 years, between 1903 and 1934. It has been 4 years since the last one; 15 of the 27 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Ocean County, New Jersey?

7 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Ocean County, New Jersey at hurricane strength since 1856. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 30.

When was the last hurricane in Ocean County, New Jersey?

Gloria (1985), on 27 September 1985, passing 32 miles away — 41 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Elsa (2021) in 2021.

What was the strongest storm to affect Ocean County, New Jersey?

Donna (1960), which reached 85 kt (98 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 41 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Ocean County, New Jersey?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.7 years — 30 storms over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Ocean County, New Jersey borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Monmouth County, New Jersey has 27 on record.

Monmouth County, New Jersey27 storms within 50 mi Atlantic County, New Jersey24 storms within 50 mi Burlington County, New Jersey23 storms within 50 mi Mercer County, New Jersey18 storms within 50 mi