New Jersey hail risk
Essex County has the highest hail risk in New Jersey, scoring 86.8 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index. NOAA has recorded 356 hail events across New Jersey over the past decade.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex County | 86.8 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 2 | Hudson County | 75.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 3 | Ocean County | 60.5 | Relatively Low | 29 |
| 4 | Cumberland County | 48.4 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 5 | Atlantic County | 47.5 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 6 | Salem County | 44.2 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 7 | Middlesex County | 42.3 | Relatively Low | 28 |
| 8 | Gloucester County | 41.7 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 9 | Burlington County | 32.7 | Very Low | 57 |
| 10 | Camden County | 31.4 | Very Low | 30 |
| 11 | Monmouth County | 30.1 | Very Low | 32 |
| 12 | Mercer County | 29.5 | Very Low | 23 |
| 13 | Union County | 26.6 | Very Low | 3 |
| 14 | Morris County | 22 | Very Low | 31 |
| 15 | Bergen County | 21.3 | Very Low | 42 |
| 16 | Hunterdon County | 18.4 | Very Low | 10 |
| 17 | Passaic County | 15.8 | Very Low | 6 |
| 18 | Somerset County | 15.3 | Very Low | 13 |
| 19 | Warren County | 14.7 | Very Low | 6 |
| 20 | Sussex County | 8.3 | Very Low | 9 |
| 21 | Cape May County | 4.2 | Very Low | 4 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Hail risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in New Jersey:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest hail risk county in New Jersey?
Essex County, NJ has the highest hail risk in New Jersey, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 86.8 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").
What causes hail risk in New Jersey?
Hail risk reflects expected annual losses from damaging hailstones to structures, vehicles, and crops. High scores cluster in the central plains and Front Range — a corridor sometimes called "Hail Alley" — where large-diameter hail is most frequent. Hail causes over $10 billion in US property damage in active years, much of it to roofs, vehicles, and crops.