South Plainfield

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Middlesex County, the county that contains South Plainfield.

Claims by ZIP code

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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Middlesex County, the county that contains South Plainfield.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Middlesex County, the county that contains South Plainfield.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Middlesex County.

Mapped by NJ GS (8).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Oct 29, 2012Coastal Flood, Middlesex$500 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Post Tropical Storm Sandy was the costliest natural disaster by far in the state of New Jersey. Record breaking high tides and wave action combined with sustained winds as high as 60 to 70 mph with wind gusts as high as around 90 mph to batter the state. Statewide, Sandy caused an estimated 29.4 billion dollars in damage, destroyed or significantly damaged 30,000 homes and businesses, affected 42,000 additional structures and was responsible directly or indirectly for 38 deaths. A new temporary inlet formed in Mantaloking (Ocean County) where some homes were swept away. About 2.4 million households in the state lost power. It would take two weeks for power to be fully restored to…

2. Oct 29, 2012High Wind, Middlesex$129 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Post Tropical Storm Sandy was the costliest natural disaster by far in the state of New Jersey. Record breaking high tides and wave action combined with sustained winds as high as 60 to 70 mph with wind gusts as high as around 90 mph to batter the state. Statewide, Sandy caused an estimated 29.4 billion dollars in damage, destroyed or significantly damaged 30,000 homes and businesses, affected 42,000 additional structures and was responsible directly or indirectly for 38 deaths. A new temporary inlet formed in Mantaloking (Ocean County) where some homes were swept away. About 2.4 million households in the state lost power. It would take two weeks for power to be fully restored to…

3. Aug 28, 2011Flood$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A 74-year-old Edison man died of a heart attack on the morning of the 28th after he spent most of the overnight bailing water from his basement. Every municipality in Middlesex County had flooding problems and in addition half the county lost power. Major roadways that were closed due to flooding included U.S, Routes 1 and 130 and New Jersey State Routes 18 and 27. Monroe Township was one of the harder hit townships in Middlesex County as flooding along the Manalapan and Matchaponix Brooks affected 200 homes. Eleven homes were uninhabitable and a Tyndale Avenue home was knocked off its foundation. In Woodbridge, the Woodbridge River flooded. In the Avenel section of the township,…

4. Sep 1, 2021Flash Flood$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flash flooding occurred in Middlesex County with numerous road closures and over 500 water rescues. A total of three flood related fatalities were reported in the county, one in South Plainfield, one in Piscataway Township, and one in Woodbridge Township. There was significant damage to structures and vehicles, mainly in the northern part of the county. Many waterways overflowed their banks, including the Lawrence Brook.

5. Sep 16, 1999Flash Flood$28.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Floyd battered New Jersey (especially the central and northern thirds) on September 16th and brought with it torrential and in some areas, unprecedented and record breaking rains and damaging winds. The hurricane will go down in history as the greatest natural disaster to ever effect the state of New Jersey to date. Preliminary damage estimates for the entire state were 1.1 billion dollars hitting Bergen and Somerset Counties the hardest. Manville and Bound Brook were hardest hit within Somerset County. Six persons died in the state; all drownings: two each in Somerset and Bergen Counties, one in Passaic County and one in Salem County. Hundreds were injured. The…

6. Jul 17, 2005Flash Flood$10.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms with torrential downpours caused flash flooding in the Manalapan Brook basin in southeastern Middlesex County as a Doppler Radar estimated storm totals of between 6 and 8 inches fell over the basin. Damage was estimated at 10.25 million dollars as 308 homes, 25 apartments, 20 businesses and one industrial facility were damaged. Six homes suffered major damage (flooding into the first floor). About 800 persons were evacuated from Jamesburg, Spotswood, Helmetta and Monroe. A state of emergency was declared in Jamesburg. Motorists were trapped in rising flood waters and numerous basements were flooded throughout the county. The dam at Lake Manalapan was opened to…

7. Jan 7, 1996Blizzard, Middlesex$4.4 million
8. Oct 19, 1996Flash Flood$2.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rain, very heavy at times especially around noon on the 19th in Middlesex County caused widespread urban and poor drainage flooding as well as flooding of the smaller streams. Flooding closed parts of United States Routes 1 and 9 and New Jersey State Routes 18, 27, 28, 35, 82 and 124 as well as the Garden State Parkway. Total damage estimates were around 2.7 million dollars. One person was injured when she was swept away by flood waters while walking toward the Metropark Train Station in Woodbridge during the afternoon of the 19th. She clinged to a branch in the rain swollen ditch for about 20 minutes before another passing woman and her son rescued her.A Limited State of…

9. Jan 22, 2005Heavy Snow, Middlesex$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A very potent Alberta low pressure system dropped heavy snow across northern and southwestern New Jersey and a wintry mix across southeastern New Jersey. Only Cape May County and coastal Atlantic County were spared heavy accumulations. In northern and southwestern New Jersey accumulations ranged from 8 to 17 inches with the highest amounts in Ocean, Burlington, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties. Across southeastern New Jersey accumulations ranged from around 10 inches in interior Atlantic and Cumberland Counties to less than an inch along coastal Cape May County. Seventeen of the twenty-one New Jersey counties reported at least one measurement of a foot or greater of snow. Governor…

10. Sep 7, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$1.9 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A squall line of severe thunderstorms rocked Middlesex County around 215 p.m. EDT on Monday the 7th. It knocked down numerous trees and power lines and forced five municipalities in the northern part of the county to declare states of emergency. Over four dozen homes and businesses were damaged, mainly by fallen trees. Only one person was injured when a tree limb fell on them in South Brunswick. Some schools were closed on the 8th because power was still out and roads were still blocked. The county damage estimate was around 1.858 million dollars. Throughout the state 218,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was not fully restored in Middlesex, Somerset and Union Counties…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

108°FJul 22, 2011

All-time low

−14°FFeb 9, 1934

Warmest night

86°F2 times, most recently Jul 23, 2011

Coldest day

−1°FJan 10, 1859

Wettest day

15.00 inAug 5, 1843

Snowiest day

25.9 inDec 26, 1947

Hottest year

2023mean 58.8°F

Coldest year

1875mean 48.3°F

Wettest year

201169.91 in

Driest year

196526.09 in

Snowiest season

78.4 in1995-96

Station Newark Liberty International Airport (USW00014734), 6 ft elevation, 14.9 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1843 to October 27, 2026; 100.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Middlesex County.

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00014734.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.