1,572 flood insurance claims·$39.1M 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 Hunterdon 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 and river flooding dominate the flood risk profile in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, accounting for 72 flash flood events with 6 deaths and 50 general flood events with 1 death, alongside 3 tropical storm events over the last 30 years. Recent flooding is exemplified by a coastal low-pressure system in December 2023 that brought 1.50 to 7.00 inches of rain to already saturated soils, causing river flooding in basins including the Raritan Basin.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that high-risk Zone A properties experience the heaviest financial and physical impacts, recording 1,232 claims with an average payout of $32,135 and an average water depth of 22 inches. Properties located in various Zone X designations also face localized risks, with unshaded Zone X properties averaging 15 inches of water depth across 62 claims, shaded Zone X recording an average water depth of 23 inches across 74 claims, and general Zone X properties averaging 19 inches of water depth across 154 claims.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A and near river basins, such as the Raritan, should pay the closest attention to flood risk, as well as property owners in Zone X designations where historical claims confirm significant standing water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Hunterdon County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,368 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 21 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 2011, with 302 claims and $5.6M paid, the year of Hurricane Irene, Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee and Severe Storm.
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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Hunterdon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Jersey flood stories →
26 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 |
| Severe Storm | Oct 29, 2011 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 28, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 23, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
125 since 1996: 72 flash floods and 50 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Nov 26, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 15, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Nov 26, 2023. A broad area of precipitation resulted in rain totals of 1-3 inches across the area. This resulted in some rises on smaller streams and waterways.
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2023. Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rain in northern New Jersey from the late afternoon into the nighttime hours of June 26. Rainfall totals were as high as 2 to 5 inches.
Flood · Dec 18, 2023. A strengthening coastal low pressure system brought several rounds of rain to the region Sunday night into Monday (December 17-18th). Total rainfall amounts across the forecast area varied from about 1.50 inches up to 7.00 inches. The heaviest rains fell across southern Delaware up through the coastal plain of New Jersey. This heavy rain fell on already saturated soils. As a result, river flooding was prevalent ac…
Flash Flood · Apr 15, 2023. Thunderstorms during the afternoon and early evening of April 15 produced locally heavy rain in New Jersey. Rainfall totals were as high as 2.0 to 3.5 inches.
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 Hunterdon 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.