State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

New Jersey Natural Disasters

New Jersey's federal declaration record sits near the middle of the state distribution. 59 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by severe storm, with $317.9M in combined property and crop damage. A moderate count like this can still mask a single catastrophic year rather than a steady annual pattern. NOAA storm event data shows 8,218 recorded weather events resulting in 100 fatalities, numbers that shape which hazards get priority in the state's preparedness planning.

Compiled by PlainHazard Editorial, Independent hazard-data publisher · August 3, 2026

59
FEMA declarations: 8,218
NOAA storm events: 100
Storm fatalities: $317.9M
Property + crop damage

The New Jersey risk picture

9 of the 21 counties FEMA scores, 43%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with riverine flooding the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. New Jersey has 43 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 496 injuries statewide.

43%
of counties rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index: 59
FEMA disaster declarations on record: $317.9M
in tracked property + crop damage: 201,671
NFIP flood insurance claims filed statewide

FEMA's National Risk Index and NOAA's Storm Events Database measure different things: modeled long-run risk vs. observed severe-weather events. Storm Events is a reported dataset, so its counts track what was observed and logged, not every event that occurred, and reporting is denser where more people live. See the methodology for how they relate.

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FEMA declarations

Below median

Major Disaster share

73%

Major-heavy

NOAA storm events

8,218

Observed severe-weather records

How does New Jersey compare?

New Jersey vs. every U.S. state

FEMA disaster declarations, all-time

59 31st percentile higher than 31% of 59 states and territories

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03

New Jersey county risk-score spread

FEMA National Risk Index composite scores, 0–100

90.8 29th percentile higher than 29% of 21 county composite scores

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more county composite scores. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FEMA National Risk Index (NRI), county composite scores · 2026-08-03

The declaration chart counts past federal actions. The county score chart summarizes FEMA's modeled National Risk Index composite; it is not a forecast, and a state average does not describe every county.

Do more storms mean more federal disasters?

New Jersey sits at the 25th percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 35th percentile of NOAA storm-event volume among 55 states and territories, those two ranks are not interchangeable.

Each point is a state or territory plotted by within-sample rank percentile (0–100) on FEMA OpenFEMA declarations (x) and NOAA Storm Events (y). Crosshairs mark the mid-rank (50th). Illinois is the clearest threshold-gap example in this release. Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 + NOAA Storm Events Database.

Read the chart, every state as text

Percentiles are within this release's state/territory sample. Raw counts are the underlying FEMA and NOAA totals.

State	FEMA decls	FEMA %ile	NOAA storms	NOAA %ile
California	396	98	23,694	93
Texas	389	96	53,309	98
Oklahoma	258	95	23,896	95
Washington	215	93	4,408	22
Florida	188	91	12,838	55
Oregon	169	89	3,695	20
New Mexico	126	87	10,974	45
Arizona	120	85	9,541	38
New York	118	84	21,653	82
Montana	112	82	13,576	56
Colorado	111	78	18,340	73
Louisiana	111	78	11,204	47
Nevada	110	76	4,534	24
Alabama	102	75	14,583	64
Kentucky	98	71	19,947	78
Mississippi	98	71	14,100	62
Tennessee	97	69	16,645	69
South Dakota	96	67	22,759	87
Alaska	94	64	2,683	15
Kansas	94	64	25,115	96
Arkansas	87	60	13,637	58
Nebraska	87	60	20,136	80
Missouri	86	58	22,952	89
North Carolina	85	56	16,367	67
West Virginia	84	55	12,026	49
Georgia	81	51	16,676	71
Minnesota	81	51	19,109	75
Iowa	78	49	21,883	84
Virginia	77	47	23,584	91
North Dakota	75	45	10,818	44
Hawaii	72	44	6,200	31
Maine	71	42	4,781	27
Illinois	68	40	22,088	85
Pennsylvania	64	38	19,427	76
New Hampshire	63	36	2,547	11
Vermont	62	35	3,449	18
Idaho	60	31	5,142	29
Ohio	60	31	16,184	65
Massachusetts	59	25	6,781	33
New Jersey	59	25	8,218	35
Utah	59	25	4,578	25
Wisconsin	56	24	13,807	60
Indiana	54	22	12,687	53
Puerto Rico	51	18	2,944	16
South Carolina	51	18	10,520	42
Michigan	46	16	9,052	36
Wyoming	45	15	12,494	51
Connecticut	43	13	2,622	13
Maryland	38	11	10,290	40
U.S. Virgin Islands	33	9	88	0
Rhode Island	31	7	924	7
Delaware	26	5	1,475	9
Guam	25	4	258	2
District of Columbia	24	2	452	5
American Samoa	17	0	292	4

What shapes New Jersey's record?

Severe Storm

19
Hurricane

12
Flood

8
Snowstorm

7
Fire

4
Drought

2
Biological

2
Other

2

What this shows Severe Storm leads New Jersey's FEMA declaration mix with 19 records among the types shown.

NOAA storm events by year

Reported severe-weather events in New Jersey, 2015–2025 catalog window.

NOAA Storm Events Database event counts for New Jersey. Focus a year mark for its exact count.

Peak year in this series: 2021 (962 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.

45 /100

Historical Activity Index

Moderate historical activity

New Jersey · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records

This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite mixing OpenFEMA declaration totals (1953–present) with NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025), different windows and event definitions, disclosed weights on the methodology page . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology

FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Moderate

10/30

59 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.7x state average)

NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) Moderate

9/25

8218 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (0.7x median state)

NOAA Damage (2015–2025) Low

6/25

Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (0.6x median state)

Hazard Diversity Very High

20/20

10 different disaster types declared in New Jersey

What does New Jersey's hazard record show?

Flood exposure & where to dig deeper

Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 21New Jersey counties have filed 201,671 NFIP claims totaling $6.5B, or an average of $32.2K per claim. NFIP data captures only insured flood losses, so uninsured flood damage and storm-surge losses outside mapped high-risk zones remain invisible in this figure. The highest-Expected-Annual-Loss hazard across the state is Riverine Flooding, estimated at $2.0B annually. Drill into individual counties for localized risk, read FEMA's hazard-specific briefings, and review insurance and flood-zone designations, state-level averages can mask sharp county-to-county differences in exposure and resilience.

NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index

NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, New Jersey recorded 8,218 individual storm events, causing 100 fatalities and 496 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $317.9M. The most frequent event types in the state are Thunderstorm Wind (2,853 events), Winter Weather (1,141 events), Flash Flood (955 events). Across the 21counties FEMA scores here, its National Risk Index flags 9 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 90.8/100.

What this count is, and is not. Storm Events is a reported database: NOAA compiles it from National Weather Service offices, trained spotters, law enforcement, and the public. It is a record of what was observed and logged, not a complete census of severe weather. Densely populated areas report more events than sparsely populated ones with similar meteorological exposure, and detection has improved over time, so an event count is not a like-for-like measure of hazard between places or across decades. Damage figures are field estimates, not audited losses. See methodology.

FEMA disaster declarations

New Jersey (NJ) has a moderate level of federal declaration activity, with 59 FEMA declaration records, including 43 Major Disaster declarations (DR). A DR may authorize Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both; those program approvals are not implied by the DR count. The dominant declaration type is Severe Storm, followed by Hurricane (12), Flood (8), Snowstorm (7). Declaration counts at the state level reflect the cumulative federal footprint: large multi-county events count once per state, but repeat hazard patterns across decades are visible in the breakdown below.

Disaster Types in New Jersey

Severe Storm 19

Hurricane 12

Flood 8

Snowstorm 7

Fire 4

Drought 2

Biological 2

Other 2

Coastal Storm 2

Severe Ice Storm 1

Storm Events by Type

NOAA storm event data for New Jersey (2015-2025).

Event Type	Events	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind	2,853	6	27	$33.9M
Winter Weather	1,141	8	114	$0
Flash Flood	955	32	7	$226.8M
Coastal Flood	380	0	0	$2.0M
Winter Storm	361	11	8	$0
Hail	361	0	0	$0
High Wind	330	2	8	$12.2M
Dense Fog	305	0	0	$0
Heavy Rain	271	0	0	$0
Flood	206	0	0	$112.1K
Excessive Heat	203	0	178	$0
Strong Wind	182	1	3	$22.5M
Cold/Wind Chill	154	4	0	$250.0K
Heavy Snow	105	1	2	$0
Lightning	79	5	32	$1.1M
Tornado	55	0	10	$5.5M
Astronomical Low Tide	50	0	0	$0
Rip Current	49	28	47	$0
Drought	40	0	0	$0
Tropical Storm	36	0	8	$0

Storm Events by Year

Year	Events	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage
2025	660	9	189	$821.5K
2024	719	2	2	$255.5K
2023	630	6	16	$223.0K
2022	549	6	17	$170.0K
2021	962	31	28	$225.6M
2020	957	1	8	$1.6M
2019	904	0	2	$934.0K
2018	626	3	7	$4.1M
2017	628	11	31	$1.8M
2016	722	17	39	$3.9M
2015	861	14	157	$65.6M

FEMA Disaster Declarations

How the 59 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.

Major Disaster 43 declarations (73%) Emergency 13 declarations (22%) Fire Management 3 declarations (5%)

Download all 59 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.

59 unique disaster declarations in New Jersey.

DR#	Title	Type	Incident	Date
5581	JONES ROAD FIRE	FM	Fire	2025-04-24
4725	SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	2023-08-11
4614	REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA	DR	Hurricane	2021-09-05
3573	REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA	EM	Hurricane	2021-09-02
4597	SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM	DR	Snowstorm	2021-04-28
4574	TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS	DR	Hurricane	2020-12-11
4488	COVID-19 PANDEMIC	DR	Biological	2020-03-25
3451	COVID-19	EM	Biological	2020-03-13
4368	SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM	DR	Severe Storm	2018-06-08
4264	SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM	DR	Severe Storm	2016-03-14
4231	SEVERE STORM	DR	Severe Storm	2015-07-22
4086	HURRICANE SANDY	DR	Hurricane	2012-10-30
3354	HURRICANE SANDY	EM	Hurricane	2012-10-28
4070	SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS	DR	Severe Storm	2012-07-19
4048	SEVERE STORM	DR	Severe Storm	2011-11-30
4039	REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE	DR	Severe Storm	2011-10-14
4033	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	2011-09-15
4021	HURRICANE IRENE	DR	Hurricane	2011-08-31
3332	HURRICANE IRENE	EM	Hurricane	2011-08-27
1954	SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM	DR	Snowstorm	2011-02-04
1897	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	2010-04-02
1889	SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM	DR	Snowstorm	2010-03-23
1873	SNOWSTORM	DR	Snowstorm	2010-02-05
1867	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION IDA AND A NOR'EAS	DR	Severe Storm	2009-12-22
2695	WARREN GROVE FIRE	FM	Fire	2007-05-16
1694	SEVERE STORMS AND INLAND AND COASTAL FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	2007-04-26
1653	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	2006-07-07
3257	HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION	EM	Hurricane	2005-09-19
1588	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	2005-04-19
1563	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	2004-10-01
1530	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	2004-07-16
3188	POWER OUTAGE	EM	Other	2003-09-23
3181	SNOW	EM	Snowstorm	2003-03-20
2411	NJ - DOUBLE TROUBLE WILDFIRE - 6/02/02	FM	Fire	2002-06-02
3169	FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS	EM	Fire	2001-09-19
3156	WEST NILE VIRUS	EM	Other	2000-11-01
1337	SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES	DR	Severe Storm	2000-08-17
1295	HURRICANE FLOYD MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATIONS	DR	Hurricane	1999-09-18
3148	HURRICANE FLOYD EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS	EM	Hurricane	1999-09-17
1206	SEVERE WINTER COASTAL STORM, HIGH WINDS, FLOODING	DR	Coastal Storm	1998-03-03
1189	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	1997-09-23
1145	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	DR	Severe Storm	1996-11-19
1088	BLIZZARD OF 96 (SEVERE SNOW STORM)	DR	Snowstorm	1996-01-13
3106	SEVERE BLIZZARD	EM	Snowstorm	1993-03-17
973	COASTAL STORM, HIGH TIDES, HEAVY RAIN, & FLOODING	DR	Flood	1992-12-18
936	SEVERE COASTAL STORM	DR	Severe Storm	1992-03-03
749	HURRICANE GLORIA	DR	Hurricane	1985-10-15
701	COASTAL STORMS & FLOODING	DR	Flood	1984-04-12
3083	WATER SHORTAGE	EM	Drought	1980-10-19
528	ICE CONDITIONS	DR	Severe Ice Storm	1977-02-08

Showing 50 of 59 declarations.

FEMA National Risk Index

Composite natural hazard risk scores for New Jersey counties based on FEMA's National Risk Index.

Avg County Risk Score

90.8/100

High Risk Counties

of 21 counties

Top Hazard by EAL

Riverine Flooding

$2.0B annual loss est.

Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss

Riverine Flooding

$2.0B EAL

Strong Wind

$252.4M EAL

Hurricane

$184.6M EAL

Earthquake

$168.1M EAL

Heat Wave

$147.2M EAL

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) EAL = Expected Annual Loss. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

NFIP Flood Insurance Claims

National Flood Insurance Program claims across New Jersey from FEMA NFIP data.

Total Claims

201,671

Total Paid

$6.5B

Avg Per Claim

$32.2K

Counties With Claims

Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data

Counties in New Jersey

21 counties with FEMA disaster data.

#	County	Disasters	Share	Major	Top Hazard	Latest
1	Atlantic County	36	61.0%	25	Hurricane	2021
2	Cape May County	34	57.6%	22	Hurricane	2021
3	Essex County	33	55.9%	21	Hurricane	2021
4	Morris County	33	55.9%	22	Hurricane	2021
5	Ocean County	33	55.9%	19	Hurricane	2025
6	Bergen County	32	54.2%	20	Hurricane	2021
7	Cumberland County	31	52.5%	20	Hurricane	2021
8	Burlington County	31	52.5%	19	Hurricane	2021
9	Union County	30	50.8%	18	Hurricane	2021
10	Passaic County	30	50.8%	18	Hurricane	2021
11	Middlesex County	30	50.8%	19	Hurricane	2021
12	Somerset County	30	50.8%	19	Hurricane	2021
13	Monmouth County	28	47.5%	17	Hurricane	2021
14	Mercer County	28	47.5%	17	Hurricane	2021
15	Gloucester County	28	47.5%	17	Hurricane	2021
16	Sussex County	28	47.5%	17	Hurricane	2021
17	Warren County	27	45.8%	16	Severe Storm	2023
18	Hunterdon County	26	44.1%	15	Hurricane	2021
19	Salem County	26	44.1%	15	Hurricane	2021
20	Camden County	25	42.4%	14	Hurricane	2021
21	Hudson County	24	40.7%	12	Hurricane	2021

Highest-risk counties by FEMA National Risk Index

Declaration counts above measure past federal action; FEMA's NRI is a composite of Expected Annual Loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. By that separate measure the highest-risk counties in New Jersey are Bergen (97.8), Middlesex (97.8), Essex (97.7), Hudson (97.2), Monmouth (96.3). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.

All 21 counties in New Jersey are listed above.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Learn more about natural disaster risk, preparedness, and data interpretation.

Preparing for Natural Disasters

Essential steps to prepare your household for the most common natural hazards.

Hazard Risk by Region

How natural disaster risk varies across different US regions.

Climate Change & Disasters

How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What natural disasters affect New Jersey?

New Jersey is affected by severe storm, hurricane, flood, snowstorm. Topping the list is Severe Storm, based on 59 FEMA disaster declarations on record.

How many FEMA disaster declarations has New Jersey had?

New Jersey has received 59 FEMA disaster declarations, including 43 major disaster declarations. That total is spread across disaster types including Severe Storm (19), Hurricane (12), Flood (8).

What severe weather events are most common in New Jersey?

The most common severe weather events in New Jersey include thunderstorm wind (2,853 events), winter weather (1,141 events), flash flood (955 events). Between 2015 and 2025, NOAA recorded these events causing 100 fatalities and $317.9M in property and crop damage.

How active is New Jersey's federal disaster declaration record?

New Jersey has a moderate level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 59 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 100 fatalities and 496 injuries. NOAA property and crop damage records total $317.9M.

How many flood insurance claims has New Jersey had?

New Jersey has 201,671 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $6.5B total paid out. Per-claim payments average $32.2K, with 21 counties reporting flood insurance claims.

Which counties in New Jersey have the most disaster declarations?

Among 21 counties in New Jersey, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Atlantic (36 declarations), Cape May (34 declarations), Essex (33 declarations). County-level records show where federal declarations have concentrated across the state.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only

What this means for New Jersey

Atlantic alone accounts for 61% of New Jersey's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 21 counties tracked statewide.

The declaration record is uneven within the state: Atlantic and Cape May carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
See how New Jersey ranks against other states for disaster frequency and damage. State rankings
Learn what FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and damage figures do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts and damage totals describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

PlainHazard derives this presentation from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries. Its county comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Browse all → | Rankings →

Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →

Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.