No active hurricanes threatening Atlantic City right now

Could the next one hit soon? 141 hurricanes have impacted the Atlantic City area since 1851 — set up free alerts so you'll have time to prepare when one's on the way.

141
Hurricanes affecting Atlantic City area
2025
Most recent
160 kt
Strongest peak winds
3 mi
Closest approach
Local note: Barrier-island location and low elevations along a developed beachfront make storm surge the dominant threat to Atlantic City, with Hurricane Irene’s 2011 near-miss (≈3 miles offshore) and frequent close approaches demonstrating how even storms that skirt the coast can produce major surge and coastal flooding.

Coverage on this page applies broadly to the Atlantic City area — including Ventnor City, Brigantine, Margate City, Northfield, Pleasantville, Longport, Oceanville, Absecon. Tropical storms rarely respect city limits.

When do hurricanes typically threaten the Atlantic City area?

Distribution of 141 hurricanes that have come within 150 mi of Atlantic City, by month of closest approach.

J
1 F
M
A
3 M
14 J
12 J
32 A
53 S
22 O
3 N
1 D

Recent notable storms affecting the Atlantic City area

Year Name Peak Cat Peak Winds Closest Approach
2021 IDA Cat 4 130 kt 69 mi
2021 ELSA Cat 1 75 kt 88 mi
2021 HENRI Cat 1 65 kt 151 mi
2020 ISAIAS Cat 1 80 kt 112 mi
2020 ZETA Cat 3 100 kt 146 mi
2018 MICHAEL Cat 5 140 kt 146 mi
2018 FLORENCE Cat 4 130 kt 183 mi
2016 HERMINE Cat 1 70 kt 104 mi
2014 ARTHUR Cat 2 85 kt 128 mi
2012 SANDY Cat 3 100 kt 3 mi
2011 IRENE Cat 3 105 kt 3 mi
2010 EARL Cat 4 125 kt 172 mi
2008 HANNA Cat 1 75 kt 44 mi
2006 ERNESTO Cat 1 65 kt 126 mi
Hurricane-strength storms (Cat 1+) since 2006 that came within 200 miles of Atlantic City. Includes storms whose center stayed offshore or hit nearby cities — wind, surge, and rainfall impacts extend far beyond the storm's path.

All-time closest approaches to Atlantic City

Year Name Peak Cat Peak Winds Closest Approach Date of Closest
2011 IRENE Cat 3 105 kt 3 mi Aug 28, 2011
2012 SANDY Cat 3 100 kt 3 mi Oct 29, 2012
2020 FAY TS 50 kt 3 mi Jul 10, 2020
1882 UNNAMED TS 50 kt 4 mi Sep 24, 1882
1944 UNNAMED Cat 1 70 kt 12 mi Aug 03, 1944
1903 UNNAMED Cat 2 85 kt 15 mi Sep 16, 1903
1888 UNNAMED TS 50 kt 17 mi Sep 11, 1888
1900 UNNAMED TS 40 kt 21 mi Oct 14, 1900
1894 UNNAMED Cat 3 105 kt 23 mi Oct 10, 1894
1877 UNNAMED Cat 3 100 kt 25 mi Oct 05, 1877
Showing the 10 closest of 141 total storms within 150 mi of Atlantic City since 1851.

If a hurricane threatens Atlantic City

  1. Know your evacuation zone. Look up yours by address via your state or county emergency management office (Atlantic County and surrounding areas).
  2. Set up alerts ahead of time. During an active storm, watches and warnings change every six hours. Email or text alerts from TropicalInfo give you the official NHC update the moment it's posted, with a plain-language summary.
  3. Prep your supplies before the storm is named. Stores empty out within hours of a watch. The 72-hour rule: water, food, batteries, fuel, medications, important documents. Our alerts can notify you of a storm long before it makes the news — giving you more time to get what you need before the panic-buying starts.
  4. Follow the cone, not the line. The forecast track is a best estimate — the cone shows where the center is likely to go. Impacts extend hundreds of miles from the center.

Set up free location-based alerts for Atlantic City

Historical data: NOAA HURDAT2 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific hurricane databases. Closest-approach calculated using great-circle distance between Atlantic City (39.3664°N, 74.4317°W) and each 6-hourly observation. Storms are included if their center passed within 150 mi of Atlantic City — impacts (wind, surge, rainfall) routinely extend much further.