Atlantic County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot New Jersey Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Atlantic County is lower than New Jersey average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Atlantic County is lower than New Jersey average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #20
| Atlantic County | 0.13 |
| New Jersey | 0.80 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Atlantic County | 0.0000 |
| New Jersey | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #19
| Atlantic County | 52.61 |
| New Jersey | 88.59 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 12,528 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Atlantic County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 9 | Cold: | 78 | Dense Fog: | 73 | Drought: | 160 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,974 | Hail: | 1,271 | Heat: | 265 | Heavy Snow: | 194 |
| High Surf: | 34 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 19 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 445 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,957 | Tropical Storm: | 8 | Wildfire: | 82 | Winter Storm: | 155 | Winter Weather: | 307 |
| Other: | 2,497 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Atlantic County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Atlantic County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 46.3 | 1973-02-28 | 3.8 | 14 | 39.72 | -75.44 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 19 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Atlantic County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 8.7 | 1987-07-21 | 2 | 39°21'N / 74°35'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 3K | 0 | Atlantic | |
| 12.1 | 1970-11-04 | 2 | 39°22'N / 74°27'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Atlantic | |
| 18.5 | 1956-05-06 | 2 | 39°15'N / 74°50'W | 0.20 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cape May | |
| 21.2 | 1999-08-20 | 2 | 39°33'N / 74°15'W | 39°33'N / 74°15'W | 0.40 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 4.2M | 0 | Ocean |
| Brief Description: A strong waterspout formed over the Atlantic Ocean just southeast of Beach Haven and moved northwest. It became a tornado as it moved across Long Beach Island around 350 p.m. EDT along the Beach Haven/Long Beach Township border. It briefly reached F2 intensity (on the Fujita Scale) as it crossed the island thus becoming one of the strongest tornadoes that ever started as a waterspout. It was also the first strong (F2 or F3 tornado on the Fujita Scale) tornado to occur in Ocean County since July 21, 1983. The tornado crossed back into Little Egg Harbor thus becoming a waterspout again and dissipated before reaching Barrel Island. Damage was estimated at 4.2 million dollars. About 35 homes and buildings were damaged as were about 50 vehicles and 5 boats. The worst damage occurred to the Sea Spray Motel. The motel and two other homes were condemned in Long Beach Township. One woman staying at the motel was injured (severe hand laceration) by flying glass. About 165 persons were displaced, 150 of them were vacationing at the Sea Spray Motel. The tornado also knocked down two main transmission lines from the mainland to the substation on Long Beach Island. About 3,100 homes and businesses lost power, mainly in the vicinity of the tornado. All power was restored around 10 p.m. EDT. The tornado's path length was about 0.4 of a mile and its path width was about 100 yards. The highest winds were estimated at 120 mph. A house on Nelson Street on the northern side of the tornado measured a peak wind gust of 95 mph. The tornado started as a waterspout in the Atlantic Ocean. It moved northwest and made landfall in the Holgate section of Long Beach Township. An oceanfront house on South Bay Avenue suffered severe window and siding damage and also had its chimney knocked down. This was one of the three condemned structures. The tornado also sent the home's recliner airborne and snapped several trees. Several houses surrounding this one suffered minor damage. The tornado then crossed the main street of Long Beach Boulevard and then inflicted major damage to the Sea Spray Motel. The tornado plucked a section of the roof covering nine rooms, and tore the eaves off another section of roof above eight other rooms. Many windows were shattered and debris from the hotel was found 1,000 feet away. The motel's back wall became structurally unsound and its roof landed on and badly damaged a playground on Nelson Avenue. The motel's chain link fence also was knocked down. The third home that was condemned was on the back (northwest) side of the motel as flying debris damaged it. The tornado continued to move northwest along the township border. Numerous homes had windows damaged, siding and shingles stripped and garage doors and decks ripped away. Barbecue grills and lawn furniture (some stuck in trees) were tossed. Numerous trees were also snapped. On Nelson Avenue, one of the more heavily damaged houses in Beach Haven lost its garage and two air conditioning units were blown into the home. The residents found a 1 by 2 board driven into the house's siding. Another nearby deck beam had a 12 inch stake driven into it. The tornado entered Little Egg Harbor near Grosser Street and sunk a boat. The waterspout dissipated on the bay before reaching Barrel Island. Damage in Long Beach Township was estimated at 4 million dollars, a third of which was damage to the Sea Spray Motel. Damage in Beach Haven Borough was estimated at 200,000 dollars. Other thunderstorms over the nearby Atlantic also caused tragic results. The violent weather offshore apparently capsized a 23 foot long wellcraft about 70 miles southeast of Atlantic City. Three men on board drowned. One body was recovered about 30 miles east of Cape May. | |||||||||||
| 21.3 | 1990-05-10 | 2 | 39°29'N / 75°02'W | 0.50 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cumberland | |
| 23.1 | 1983-07-21 | 3 | 39°40'N / 74°17'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Ocean | |
| 27.1 | 1971-08-27 | 2 | 38°55'N / 74°56'W | 39°19'N / 74°47'W | 28.70 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cape May |
| 31.1 | 1975-07-13 | 2 | 39°30'N / 75°13'W | 1.50 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Cumberland | |
| 35.1 | 1982-06-29 | 2 | 39°53'N / 74°15'W | 1.50 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Ocean | |
| 38.5 | 1960-07-14 | 2 | 39°44'N / 75°23'W | 39°46'N / 75°08'W | 13.30 Miles | 450 Yards | 0 | 6 | 0K | 0 | Gloucester |
| 39.2 | 1958-07-14 | 2 | 39°56'N / 75°07'W | 39°58'N / 74°56'W | 9.80 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Philadelphia |
| 41.3 | 1958-07-14 | 2 | 39°56'N / 75°08'W | 39°56'N / 75°07'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Philadelphia | ||
| 41.4 | 1989-06-09 | 2 | 39°57'N / 75°07'W | 39°57'N / 75°05'W | 1.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Camden |
| 42.5 | 1989-06-09 | 2 | 39°57'N / 75°09'W | 39°57'N / 75°07'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Philadelphia |
| 44.8 | 1960-07-14 | 2 | 39°43'N / 75°26'W | 39°44'N / 75°23'W | 2.30 Miles | 450 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Salem |
| 47.5 | 1988-08-17 | 2 | 39°43'N / 75°28'W | 1.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Salem | |
| 47.5 | 1998-06-01 | 2 | 40°07'N / 75°02'W | 40°05'N / 74°57'W | 5.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.8M | 0 | Philadelphia |
| Brief Description: A tornado ripped through Upper and Lower Moreland Townships as well as extreme northeast Philadelphia during the early morning of June 1st. The tornado was rated as an F1 (A weak tornado on the Fujita Scale) in Montgomery County and intensified into an F2 (or strong tornado on the Fujita Scale) within Philadelphia. The worst damage occurred within the unoccupied Byberry Industrial Park as the tornado reached its strongest intensity. Thirty-five commercial buildings were damaged, nine severely. Damage outside of the industrial park was mainly confined to downed trees. About ten homes were damaged by fallen trees. The damage within Philadelphia was discontinuous suggesting the tornado was not on the ground for its entire lifetime across the city. Damage was estimated at $1.8 million dollars. Because the buildings were unoccupied, no injuries occurred. The tornado moved into the city from Lower Moreland Township in the Bustleton/Lumar Park area around 120 a.m. EDT. Trees were split and knocked down. The tornado intensified into a strong one (F2 on the Fujita Scale) as it crossed into the Byberry Industrial Park. The worst damage was done in the area around Byberry Road, McNulty Road, Roosevelt Boulevard and Southampton Road. Five ton air conditioning units were tossed. Of the 35 commercial buildings damaged, nine were severely damaged and declared "imminently dangerous". Slabs of the roof were tossed 200 yards. Some buildings lost entire sides, had buckled steel beams, shattered windows and crushed equipment. The tornado plucked utility poles from the ground. About 20 poles were knocked over. Five teams of tree service personnel were overwhelmed. Damage south of the industrial park became sporadic as the tornado turned toward the southeast. It lifted just before the Bucks County border near Woodhaven Road just to the southeast of the Franklin Mills Mall. Its path length was about 5.6 miles and path width about 200 yards. PECO Energy reported 34,000 customers in Philadelphia lost power. Five thousand still did not have power the evening of the 1st. It was the worst non-winter storm in PECO Energy's 50 year history and the fourth worst overall. According to their lightning detection system, there were 7,000 cloud to ground lightning strikes in their service area as this line of thunderstorms moved through. | |||||||||||
| 47.6 | 1958-06-13 | 2 | 40°09'N / 74°42'W | 40°10'N / 74°40'W | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Burlington | ||
| 48.7 | 1958-06-13 | 2 | 40°10'N / 74°40'W | 40°11'N / 74°39'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mercer | ||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.