6,502 flood insurance claims·$239.5M paid·9 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 Somerset 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.
River flooding and flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate Somerset County, where NOAA records show 133 flood events, 88 flash flood events resulting in 7 deaths, and 3 tropical storms over the last 30 years. Recent flash flooding occurred in July 2025 when an approaching cold front sparked showers and thunderstorms across the forecast area.
National Flood Insurance Program records demonstrate that flood risk extends well beyond high-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A account for the highest volume with 4815 claims, an average payout of $44,213, and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches. However, properties in lower-risk zones also experience significant impacts. Zone X properties recorded 1003 claims averaging $39,510 with an average water depth of 16 inches. Shaded Zone X properties logged 298 claims with an average payout of $32,822 and an average water depth of 18 inches, while unshaded Zone X properties saw 214 claims averaging $21,688 with an average water depth of 17 inches. An additional 172 claims were filed under an unknown zone, averaging $6,772 with an average water depth of 8 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, while recognizing that structures in Zone X and shaded Zone X areas also face substantial flood and water-depth risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Somerset County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
5,327 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 16 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 1,383 claims and $55.9M paid, the year of Hurricane Irene 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.
27 NOAA storm reports from Somerset County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Jersey flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 6, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storm | Oct 29, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 26, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
224 since 1996: 88 flash floods and 133 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A stationary front sparked off showers and thunderstorms across the forecast area. Flash flooding resulted.
Flash Flood · May 14, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms producing heavy rain developed across the area on the afternoon of May 14.
Flood · Jul 14, 2025. An approaching cold front sparked off showers and thunderstorms across the forecast area. Flash flooding resulted.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2025. An approaching cold front sparked off showers and thunderstorms across the forecast area. Flash flooding resulted.
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 Somerset 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.