Natural hazards · Washington

Washington, NJ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Washington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 90 claims here since 1979.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Washington?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Washington to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Cold waves8%Drought6%Everything else18%

By hazard

What Washington faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

68% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 29% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Drought

6% of expected damage

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Washington flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Washington, from FEMA’s records.

90paid claims since 1979

$2.0Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 28 claims, $1.4M
Not a named storm: 9 claims, $33K
Hurricane Floyd: 5 claims, $29K

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Washington isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Morris County.

Disasters that hit Washington

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Morris County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Washington itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into WashingtonDeclared for Morris County only

Morris County has had 26 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Washington

Washington and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Hackettstownmostly inland floodingModerate

Lebanonmostly inland floodingModerate

Tewksburymostly inland floodingModerate

Chestermostly inland floodingModerate

Mansfieldmostly inland floodingLow

Mount Olivemostly inland floodingLow

Washingtonmostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Washington covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Washington’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Washington. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Washington total about $6.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.