States › New Jersey › Mercer County

Mercer County, New Jersey

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 34021 · 385,898 residents (2021) · 224 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 63Tornado · 18Flood · 137Wind · 403Winter · 225

Mercer County within New Jersey. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 1,165 events for Mercer County, New Jersey, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 519.0 events per 100 square miles, above the New Jersey figure of 358.7, and 30.2 per 10,000 residents against 28.5 statewide.

40 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 14 deaths and 136 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $309M and crop damage at $1.1M.

FEMA has designated the county in 28 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Remnants Of Hurricane Ida (major disaster, 5 Sep 2021).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 2,432 claims since 1978, of which 1,879 were paid, totalling $48M (about $26K per paid claim). FEMA counts 1,294 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively High" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($176M a year across 18 hazards).

52 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

40events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,165events since 195014 deaths, 136 injuries recorded

28disaster declarationslast 5 Sep 2021

2,432NFIP flood claims$48M paid

Compared with New Jersey and the United States

Measure	Mercer County	New Jersey	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,165	26,382	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	519.0	358.7	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	30.2	28.5	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	40	776	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	14	276	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$309M	$28B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	6.3	21.8	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$26K	$38K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	16.5	10.6	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Tornado: 1Wind: 1

Tornado: 3Wind: 1

Hail: 2Wind: 8

Hail: 7Tornado: 2Wind: 16

Hail: 10Tornado: 2Flood: 26Wind: 53Winter: 24Heat: 27Cold: 4Drought: 18Lightning: 5Fog: 5Other: 24

Hail: 12Tornado: 1Flood: 39Wind: 116Winter: 82Tropical: 1Heat: 34Cold: 16Drought: 20Wildfire: 2Lightning: 23Fog: 10Other: 20

Hail: 15Tornado: 2Flood: 46Wind: 124Winter: 84Tropical: 1Heat: 23Cold: 10Drought: 6Wildfire: 4Lightning: 9Fog: 5Other: 4

Hail: 17Tornado: 7Flood: 26Wind: 84Winter: 35Tropical: 1Heat: 8Cold: 1Lightning: 1Fog: 33Other: 4

21950s41960s101970s251980s1981990s3762000s3332010s2172020s

Recorded events in Mercer County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtWildfireLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 673 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 443 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind403

Winter225

Flood137

Heat92

Hail63

Fog53

Other52

Drought44

Lightning38

Cold31

Tornado18

Wildfire6

Tropical3

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	403	4	4.2%	detail
■ Winter	225	1	4.4%	detail
■ Flood	137	4	3.6%	detail
■ Heat	92	5	5.4%
■ Hail	63	—	5.5%	detail
■ Fog	53	—	7.0%
■ Other	52	—	4.2%
■ Drought	44	—	5.0%
■ Lightning	38	—	6.0%
■ Cold	31	—	4.7%
■ Tornado	18	—	8.7%	detail
■ Wildfire	6	—	3.4%
■ Tropical	3	—	0.8%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
29 Oct 2012	High Wind	Wind	68 mph	$100M	—	3	—	Forecast zone
4 Jul 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	3	—	Forecast zone
28 Aug 2011	Flood	Flood	—	$75M	—	2	—	County
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$50M	$1.0M	2	—	County
7 Jan 1996	Blizzard	Winter	—	$1.1M	—	1	—	Forecast zone
11 Sep 2002	High Wind	Wind	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
21 Jul 2011	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
29 May 2012	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
10 Jan 2014	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	60	Forecast zone
26 May 2016	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	12	Forecast zone
12 Dec 2000	High Wind	Wind	58 mph	$200K	—	—	9	Forecast zone
16 Sep 1999	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$32M	—	—	5	County
1 Feb 2011	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	—	6	Forecast zone
25 Jun 1997	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	4	Forecast zone
16 Mar 2007	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	4	Forecast zone
13 Mar 2010	High Wind	Wind	63 mph	$500K	—	—	3	Forecast zone
4 Oct 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	79 mph	$250K	$100K	—	3	County
5 Jul 1990	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	3	County
19 Dec 2008	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	3	Forecast zone
7 Aug 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	60 mph	—	—	—	2	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
5 Sep 2021	DR-4614	Major disaster	Hurricane	Remnants Of Hurricane Ida	Individual assistance, Public assistance
2 Sep 2021	EM-3573	Emergency	Hurricane	Remnants Of Hurricane Ida	Public assistance
25 Mar 2020	DR-4488	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3451	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
14 Mar 2016	DR-4264	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
30 Oct 2012	DR-4086	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Oct 2012	EM-3354	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
14 Oct 2011	DR-4039	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee	Public assistance
31 Aug 2011	DR-4021	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Individual assistance, Public assistance
27 Aug 2011	EM-3332	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Public assistance
4 Feb 2011	DR-1954	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
2 Apr 2010	DR-1897	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
26 Apr 2007	DR-1694	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
7 Jul 2006	DR-1653	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
19 Sep 2005	EM-3257	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
19 Apr 2005	DR-1588	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance
1 Oct 2004	DR-1563	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Mar 2003	EM-3181	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
19 Sep 2001	EM-3169	Emergency	Fire	Fires And Explosions	Public assistance
1 Nov 2000	EM-3156	Emergency	Other	West Nile Virus	Public assistance
18 Sep 1999	DR-1295	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations	Individual assistance, Public assistance
17 Sep 1999	EM-3148	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations	Public assistance
13 Jan 1996	DR-1088	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
17 Mar 1993	EM-3106	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Blizzard	Public assistance
19 Oct 1980	EM-3083	Emergency	Drought	Water Shortage	Public assistance
23 Jul 1975	DR-477	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains, High Winds, Hail & Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
4 Sep 1971	DR-310	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
18 Aug 1965	DR-205	Major disaster	Drought	Water Shortage	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Mercer County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19782,432

Paid claims1,879

Total paid$48M

Average paid claim$26K

Repetitive-loss properties30733 severe

Residential policies in force1,2941.2% of 107,040 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	2	0	$0	—
2025	1	0	$0	—
2024	12	8	$47,156	$5,895
2023	5	2	$11,944	$5,972
2022	3	1	$8,877	$8,877
2021	161	134	$11,391,571	$85,012
2020	4	1	$6,012	$6,012
2019	5	4	$18,400	$4,600
2018	19	9	$67,187	$7,465
2017	1	0	$0	—
2016	12	10	$215,132	$21,513
2015	5	0	$0	—
2014	12	6	$158,532	$26,422
2013	12	9	$52,745	$5,861
2012	16	3	$10,410	$3,470
2011	408	333	$15,150,339	$45,497
2010	24	12	$63,990	$5,333
2009	20	18	$349,558	$19,420
2008	2	1	$4,087	$4,087
2007	82	64	$2,437,636	$38,088
2006	243	225	$2,662,288	$11,832
2005	226	202	$2,764,177	$13,684
2004	153	127	$920,644	$7,249
2003	14	6	$15,612	$2,602
2002	2	2	$17,021	$8,511

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Highscore 95.4 of 100

Expected annual loss$176MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$113,557,638
Hurricane	Relatively High	$18,127,303
Strong wind	Very High	$12,731,528
Earthquake	Relatively Moderate	$10,593,649
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$6,829,353
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$4,832,134
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$4,104,583
Ice storm	Very High	$1,856,316
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,470,545
Winter weather	Very High	$1,137,228
Coastal flooding	Relatively Low	$329,235
Drought	Relatively Low	$304,640
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$215,926
Hail	Very Low	$110,217
Landslide	Very Low	$1,608

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles52

Tracks within 50 miles12

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	85 mi	58 mph
Ida	2021	58 mi	40 mph
Fay	2020	22 mi	58 mph
Isaias	2020	47 mi	63 mph
Andrea	2013	64 mi	46 mph
Sandy	2012	55 mi	81 mph
Irene	2011	32 mi	69 mph
Hanna	2008	22 mi	52 mph
Charley	2004	83 mi	40 mph
Allison	2001	97 mi	46 mph
Floyd	1999	67 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	12 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	79 mi	40 mph
Gloria	1985	77 mi	86 mph
Henri	1985	90 mi	40 mph
Belle	1976	93 mi	69 mph
Agnes	1972	69 mi	63 mph
Doria	1971	82 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1968	77 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	84 mi	63 mph
Brenda	1960	50 mi	58 mph
Donna	1960	75 mi	98 mph
Diane	1955	18 mi	46 mph
Able	1952	39 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	76 mi	40 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

08618 948
08638 348
08540 270
08619 263
08648 195
08628 84
08520 48
08550 46
08611 45
08610 43
08560 40
08534 37
08609 32
08629 24
08525 14
08690 10
08620 7
08691 6

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Mercer County, NJ?

NCEI records 63 hail events in Mercer County since 1950, in 24 different years; that is about 0.8 recorded events a year. 6 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Mercer County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 18 tornadoes in Mercer County since 1950, 5 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Mercer County?

5 Sep 2021: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 28 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Mercer County, and how much was paid?

2,432 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,879 of them paid, for $48M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Mercer County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively High" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Mercer County compare with the rest of New Jersey?

519.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 358.7 statewide, and 6.3 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 21.8. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.