Passaic County, New Jersey: hazard risk
FEMA rates Passaic County's overall risk Relatively High (score 95.8 of 100, higher than 95% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 16 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, lightning, winter weather. Its storm record holds 696 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 | 99.0 | $5.7M |
| Lightning | Very High | 97.8 | $2.2M |
| Winter Weather | Very High | 97.7 | $883K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 97.8 | $111M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 92.2 | $6.3M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 96.1 | $5.7M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 93.6 | $7.6M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 88.8 | $5.0M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 87.9 | $4.1M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 74.8 | $214K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 68.9 | $4K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 46.2 | $84K |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 25.4 | $1K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 16.1 | $4K |
| Hail | Very Low | 15.8 | $41K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 14.8 | $14 |
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 | 184 | 5 | $25M | 6th of 20 | 18th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 184 | 3 | – | 12th of 20 | 73rd of 3,077 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 153 | 1 | $368K | 7th of 20 | 106th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 51 | 5 | $1.5M | 20th of 20 | 179th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 34 | 0 | – | 6th of 20 | 808th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 22 | 0 | – | 18th of 20 | 775th of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 20 | 1 | – | 15th of 20 | 54th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 15 | 2 | – | 19th of 20 | 497th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 15 | 1 | $10M | 11th of 20 | 48th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 8 | 0 | – | 19th of 20 | 1075th of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 5 | 0 | – | 13th of 20 | 367th of 1,849 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 0 | $6.0M | 16th of 20 | 2180th 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 Passaic County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.