Somerset County, New Jersey: hazard risk
FEMA rates Somerset County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 90.9 of 100, higher than 90% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by riverine flooding, winter weather, strong wind. Its storm record holds 1,258 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 95.0 | $126M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 94.2 | $1.0M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 93.8 | $4.5M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 90.8 | $1.7M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 83.4 | $1.4M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 88.0 | $4.3M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 83.5 | $5.3M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 74.0 | $4.3M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 72.3 | $4.6M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 88.5 | $7.1M |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 58.5 | $432K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 35.4 | $33K |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 29.4 | $7K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 23.1 | $273 |
| Hail | Very Low | 15.3 | $87K |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 325 | 0 | $8.4M | 6th of 20 | 102nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 253 | 1 | $13M | 5th of 20 | 30th of 3,077 |
| Floods | 221 | 7 | $1.2B | 5th of 20 | 15th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 119 | 0 | $27M | 9th of 20 | 35th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 95 | 1 | – | 4th of 20 | 25th of 3,076 |
| Hail | 43 | 0 | $162K | 8th of 20 | 1347th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 42 | 0 | – | 4th of 20 | 122nd of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 42 | 0 | – | 12th of 20 | 43rd of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 37 | 0 | $3.5M | 8th of 20 | 27th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 32 | 0 | – | 5th of 20 | 151st of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 0 | $5.9M | 18th of 20 | 2295th of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 3 | 0 | $656K | 16th of 20 | 478th of 1,849 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 0 | – | 16th of 20 | 279th of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Somerset County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.