Union County, New Jersey: hazard risk
FEMA rates Union County's overall risk Relatively High (score 95.5 of 100, higher than 95% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, winter weather, lightning. Its storm record holds 681 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 | 98.6 | $5.8M |
| Winter Weather | Very High | 98.5 | $1.3M |
| Lightning | Very High | 96.7 | $2.1M |
| Ice Storm | Very High | 95.1 | $1.5M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 97.5 | $117M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 96.2 | $6.8M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 95.1 | $13M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 89.0 | $5.5M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 87.2 | $5.1M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 85.3 | $4.4M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 72.4 | $1.1M |
| Drought | Very Low | 29.9 | $22K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 27.5 | $215 |
| Hail | Very Low | 26.6 | $87K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 16.3 | $5K |
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 | 195 | 7 | $22M | 1st of 20 | 3rd of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 183 | 4 | $6.0M | 1st of 20 | 2nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 134 | 3 | – | 4th of 20 | 24th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 55 | 6 | $951K | 4th of 20 | 20th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | – | 2nd of 20 | 522nd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 22 | 3 | – | 15th of 20 | 165th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 15 | 0 | $70K | 4th of 20 | 11th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 14 | 0 | – | 9th of 20 | 38th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 14 | 0 | $20M | 1st of 20 | 12th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 11 | 0 | – | 8th of 20 | 257th of 3,063 |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 0 | – | 16th of 20 | 668th of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 4 | 0 | – | 8th of 20 | 163rd of 1,849 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 1 | 0 | – | 11th of 20 | 108th of 2,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Union County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.