Essex County, New Jersey: hazard risk
FEMA rates Essex County's overall risk Relatively High (score 97.7 of 100, higher than 97% of rated U.S. counties); 7 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, winter weather, heat wave. Its storm record holds 760 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Very High | 98.7 | $4.8M |
| Winter Weather | Very High | 97.0 | $697K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 99.0 | $19M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 98.8 | $149M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 95.4 | $8.7M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 94.9 | $8.5M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 92.3 | $995K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 95.6 | $12M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 91.8 | $7.7M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 86.8 | $981K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 78.7 | $265K |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 65.4 | $556K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 50.5 | $988 |
| Drought | Very Low | 25.5 | $10K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 10.6 | $2K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 190 | 7 | $38M | 2nd of 20 | 6th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 180 | 1 | – | 7th of 20 | 36th of 3,077 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 160 | 1 | $514K | 2nd of 20 | 12th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 87 | 11 | $2.7M | 5th of 20 | 21st of 3,080 |
| Hail | 33 | 0 | – | 4th of 20 | 607th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 24 | 8 | – | 17th of 20 | 255th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 23 | 1 | $319K | 2nd of 20 | 6th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 22 | 0 | – | 13th of 20 | 420th of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 19 | 0 | $14K | 6th of 20 | 29th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 8 | 0 | – | 18th of 20 | 796th of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 7 | 0 | – | 11th of 20 | 213th of 1,849 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 0 | $526K | 11th of 20 | 1850th of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Essex County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.