192 flood insurance claims·$2.0M paid·6 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 Sussex 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 and heavy tropical system rainfall dominates the flood risk in Sussex County, New Jersey, supported by 30 flash flood events, 23 flood events, and 3 tropical storms over the last 30 years. Recent significant events include Post Tropical Cyclone Ida in September 2021, which brought rainfall totals as high as 5 to 10 inches and caused widespread property damage and several fatalities, as well as heavy rainfall from thunderstorms bringing totals of 3 to around 7 inches in July 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that high-risk Zone A experienced 79 claims with an average payout of $21,238 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Meanwhile, moderate-to-low risk Zone X recorded 53 claims with an average payout of $15,947 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches, and Zone X unshaded recorded 33 claims with an average payout of $11,494 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in high-risk Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X areas that experience significant average water depths during heavy rain and storm events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
32% of Sussex County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
117 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 7 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 58 claims and $887,600 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Sussex County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Jersey flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Isaias | Aug 4, 2020 |
| 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 Inland And Coastal Flooding | Apr 14, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
56 since 1996: 30 flash floods and 23 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 2, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Feb 24, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2023. Thunderstorms brought locally heavy rain to northern New Jersey from the late afternoon into the evening of July 14. Rainfall totals were as high as 3 to around 7 inches.
Flash Flood · Sep 1, 2021. Post Tropical Cyclone Ida brought heavy rain to New Jersey on September 1. Rainfall totals were as high as 5 to 10 inches. The heavy rain caused significant flash flooding, mainly in the northern half of the state. It resulted in widespread property damage. There were several fatalities.
Tropical Storm · Aug 4, 2020. Tropical Storm Isaias brought high winds, heavy rain, several tornadoes, and coastal flooding to the mid-Atlantic region, becoming the most impactful tropical cyclone to impact most of the region since Sandy in 2012.
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 Sussex 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.