5,198 flood insurance claims·$177.3M paid·5 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Hudson County, New Jersey. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Hudson County, NJ, accounting for 114 events and 1 death over the last 30 years, alongside 26 general floods (2 deaths), 17 coastal floods, and 4 tropical storms. Recent events illustrate these hazards, such as an August 2024 frontal system that produced rainfall rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour and total amounts of 2 to 4 inches, resulting in widespread evening flash flooding. Another event on August 13, 2025, involved a thunderstorm moving across northeast New Jersey that resulted in water rescues across Hudson County and cars stuck in flood waters.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows varying impacts across zones. Zone A properties experienced the heaviest volume with 4,327 claims averaging $46,166 with an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone X recorded 430 claims with an average payout of $49,928 and an average 8 inches of water depth, while Zone X shaded recorded 66 claims with an average payout of $103,453 and an average 8 inches of water depth. Zone X unshaded saw 215 claims averaging $32,991 with an average water depth of 3 inches, and unknown zones logged 160 claims averaging $6,707 with an average 7 inches of water depth. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and shaded or unshaded Zone X areas should pay close attention to these historical claim and depth patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Hudson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
4,608 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2012, with 2,334 claims and $135.2M paid, the year of Hurricane Sandy.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
68 NOAA storm reports from Hudson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Jersey flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 26, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding | Apr 14, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
161 since 1996: 114 flash floods, 26 river or area floods and 17 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 13, 2025. Thunderstorm moved across northeast New Jersey resulting in a water rescue across Hudson County, cars stuck in flood waters across Essex County and Road closures across Union County.
Flash Flood · Aug 18, 2024. A frontal system over the area on August 18th produced heavy thunderstorms that were fairly slow moving over northeast New Jersey. A cold front moving in from the west late in the afternoon produced heavy thunderstorms with an environmental MUCAPE of 2000-3000 J/kg and PWAT values of 1.7-1.8 inches. These slow moving thunderstorms produce rainfall rates of 1-3 inches per hour over New Jersey with total rainfall am…
Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2024. An approaching cold front and trough produced thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening on July 17th that resulted in localized flash flooding in northern New Jersey. MUCAPE values of 1000-2000 J/kg and PWATs of 2-2.2 inches allowed the thunderstorms to produce heavy rainfall rates of 1-2 per hour. The thunderstorms produced rainfall totals of 1 to 2.5 inches.
Coastal Flood · Jan 13, 2024. Strong low pressure shifted northeast through the eastern Great Lakes on January 13, 2024, sending a warm front through during the morning hours, followed quickly by a cold front. Strong winds produced by this system, combined with peaking high astronomical tides associated with a recent new moon, produced widespread moderate coastal flooding along the tidal waterways of Northeast New Jersey.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Hudson County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.