Chelan County, Washington
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 53007 · population 78,989 · 2,921 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 959 records for Chelan County, Washington from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 476 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (558 records). 790 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the February 19, 2023 avalanche, filed for the forecast zone Western Chelan County, which covers the county: 3 deaths and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 53 declarations naming the county since 1972, 51 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Wildfires” on August 3, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 959on 476 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 1865 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.6Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 53latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Chelan County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 558 since 1998. 72% of its winter storm records since 1998 fell in December and January. The rank column places the county among Washington's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 558 | 216 | 1998-2026 | 8 | 26 | $7.4M | 22 of 39 |
| Wildfires | 123 | 92 | 1998-2025 | 1 | 4 | $1.3B | 3 of 39 |
| Floods | 81 | 49 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $8.5M | 10 of 39 |
| High wind and dust storms | 74 | 55 | 1999-2026 | 1 | 24 | $16M | 34 of 39 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 58 | 48 | 2001-2023 | 7 | 4 | $5.2M | 5 of 39 |
| Hail | 22 | 12 | 1963-2023 | 0 | 0 | $131M | 17 of 39 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 13 | 13 | 1956-2024 | 0 | 0 | $160K | 20 of 39 |
| Heavy rain | 8 | 8 | 1998-2015 | 0 | 0 | $18M | 19 of 39 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 8 | 7 | 2012-2020 | 0 | 0 | – | 17 of 39 |
| Lightning | 5 | 5 | 1996-2006 | 1 | 7 | $10K | 11 of 39 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 3 | 2 | 2015-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 39 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 2 | 2004-2008 | 0 | 0 | $144M | 32 of 39 |
| Heat | 3 | 2 | 2021-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 31 of 39 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
When was the last damaging storm in Chelan County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 20, 2026 flood ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-20 | FloodMonitor, Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $2K | |
| 2026-03-20 | FloodStehekin, Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2026-03-18 | FloodCashmere, Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2026-03-11 | Heavy SnowChelan County · forecast zone Western Chelan County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-11 | BlizzardChelan County · forecast zone Western Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2026-03-11 | Heavy SnowChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-08 | High WindChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-07 | High WindChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 38 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-07 | High WindChelan County and Douglas County · forecast zone Wenatchee Area | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-07 | Heavy SnowChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-06 | Heavy SnowChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-06 | Heavy SnowChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-02-19 | AvalancheChelan County · forecast zone Western Chelan County A group of 6 hikers caused a slab avalanche near Northeast Couloir route on Colchuck Peak. It resulted in 3 deaths and 1 injury. | 3 | 1 | – | |
| 2012-12-17 | Winter WeatherChelan County and Okanogan County · forecast zone East Slopes Northern Cascades Roads that were closed due to downed trees included: Cedar Brae, River Road, Shugart Flats, Chiwawa Loop, Baraburn, Cottonwood, and Highway 2 along a 35 mile stretch between Stevens Pass and Leavenworth. The highway is one of two primary east-west routes through the mountains open during the winter. About 7,000 to ... | 2 | 10 | $7.2M | |
| 2014-02-19 | Winter WeatherChelan County and Okanogan County · forecast zone East Slopes Northern Cascades Two men were found dead near a wrecked Jeep off a snowy Forest Service road in the Derby Canyon area. Reports state the two men were going for a drive in an all-wheel-drive jeep along primitive roads that had snow two feet deep in places. The vehicle was found on Thursday about 75 yards down a steep embankment off the ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-11-19 | Winter WeatherChelan County and Douglas County · forecast zone Wenatchee Area A cold and unstable air mass in combination with low level upslope flow brought heavy snow on the Waterville Plateau. A trained spotter reported six inches of snow in Waterville. Nine miles north of Chelan on Highway 97, a driver lost control on the ice resulting in a collision with one indirect fatality and at least ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2006-03-19 | AvalancheChelan County and Okanogan County · forecast zone East Slopes Northern Cascades An avalanche occurred about 20 miles west of Conconully in the Brown's Meadow area below Tiffany Mountain. The avalanche was human caused and buried a person under about 30 inches of snow for four hours. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1999-02-10 | Winter StormChelan County and Okanogan County · forecast zone W Okanogan/C&W Chelan Heavy snow, gusty winds and bitter cold temperatures lead to hazardous conditions int he back country of the East Cascades where 2 snowmobilers were lost for 11 days. The couple was found, 1 dead and 1 injuried. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-11-22 | Winter WeatherChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County Sheriff responded to fatal crash along Road B near Road 18 and 20. Ephrata had ice accumulations of above a tenth of an inch. | 1 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2022-11-22 | Winter WeatherChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County Sheriff responded to fatal crash along Road B near Road 18 and 20. Ephrata had ice accumulations of above a tenth of an inch. | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-08-02 | WildfireChelan County | 0 | 0 | $163M | |
| 2008-04-19 | Frost/FreezeChelan County and Douglas County · forecast zone Wenatchee Area | 0 | 0 | $144M | |
| 2022-09-09 | WildfireChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $116M | |
| 2022-10-01 | WildfireChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $116M | |
| 1994-05-16 | HailChelan County | 0.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $100M |
| 2024-07-01 | WildfireChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $94M | |
| 2024-08-01 | WildfireChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $94M | |
| 2024-09-01 | WildfireChelan County · forecast zone Central Chelan County | 0 | 0 | $94M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Chelan County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 10 | 78 | 301 z | 169 |
| Wildfires | – | – | – | – | 2 | 24 | 57 | 40 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 23 | 35 | 21 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 23 | 31 | 19 |
| Landslides and avalanches | – | – | – | – | 0 | 8 | 42 | 8 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Winter storms in the 2010s: 301 records against 78 in the decade before, 301 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Chelan County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
72% of its winter storm records since 1998 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 254 · Feb 69 · Mar 46 · Apr 15 · May 35 · Jun 52 · Jul 60 · Aug 77 · Sep 39 · Oct 35 · Nov 81 · Dec 196 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Chelan County
FEMA's register lists 53 declarations that include Chelan County: 16 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 30 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (34) and severe storm (7).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | EM-3650 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2026-04-07 | DR-4906 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2025-12-12 | EM-3629 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2025-09-26 | FM-5614 | Fire | Lower Sugarloaf Fire |
| 2022-03-29 | DR-4650 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding |
| 2021-08-18 | FM-5414 | Fire | Twentyfive Mile Fire |
| 2021-07-14 | FM-5398 | Fire | Red Apple Fire |
| 2020-09-07 | FM-5352 | Fire | Apple Acres Fire |
| 2020-03-22 | DR-4481 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3427 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-08-11 | FM-5270 | Fire | Cougar Creek Fire |
| 2017-05-23 | FM-5182 | Fire | Spromberg Fire |
| 2016-08-28 | FM-5152 | Fire | Suncrest Fire |
| 2016-01-15 | DR-4249 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-10-20 | DR-4243 | Fire | Wildfires and Mudslides |
| 2015-08-21 | EM-3372 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2015-08-14 | FM-5100 | Fire | Chelan Fire Complex |
| 2015-06-29 | FM-5087 | Fire | Sleepy Hollow Fire |
| 2014-08-06 | FM-5072 | Fire | Hansel Fire |
| 2014-07-23 | EM-3371 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2014-07-17 | FM-5061 | Fire | Chiwaukum Fire |
| 2014-07-10 | FM-5059 | Fire | Mills Canyon Fire |
| 2013-08-21 | FM-5048 | Fire | Eagle Fire |
| 2013-08-10 | FM-5042 | Fire | Mile Post 10 Fire |
| 2013-07-30 | FM-5038 | Fire | Colockum Tarps Fire |
| 2012-09-20 | FM-5020 | Fire | Table Mountain Fire |
| 2012-09-13 | FM-5018 | Fire | Peavine Fire |
| 2012-09-12 | FM-5017 | Fire | Poison Fire |
| 2012-09-10 | FM-5015 | Fire | Byrd Canyon Fire |
| 2012-09-09 | FM-5012 | Fire | 1st Canyon Fire |
| 2009-07-29 | FM-2823 | Fire | Union Valley Fire |
| 2009-03-02 | DR-1825 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow |
| 2009-01-30 | DR-1817 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding |
| 2007-07-08 | FM-2711 | Fire | Easy Street Fire |
| 2007-02-14 | DR-1682 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2006-12-12 | DR-1671 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2006-09-11 | FM-2674 | Fire | Flick Creek Fire |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3227 | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-08-01 | FM-2572 | Fire | Dirty Face Fire |
| 2004-08-11 | FM-2543 | Fire | Wa-Fischer Wildfire-08-11-2004 |
The 40 most recent of 53 are listed; the CSV has every one.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Chelan County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 81 flood or flash flood records for Chelan County from 1997 to 2026, on 49 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Chelan County ranks 991st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $3.0 million on 183 claims filed in Chelan County; the most in one year was 39 in 1995. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1980: 6 · 1984: 1 · 1987: 1 · 1989: 1 · 1990: 16 · 1991: 2 · 1993: 3 · 1995: 39 · 1996: 13 · 1997: 4 · 1998: 1 · 1999: 3 · 2000: 1 · 2003: 5 · 2004: 1 · 2006: 11 · 2009: 4 · 2010: 12 · 2013: 15 · 2016: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2019: 9 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 28 · 2026: 2; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Chelan County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chelan County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $88.5 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very High | $3.5M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively High | $35M | once in about 43 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $841K | 9.9 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | $142K | 4 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $41M | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $164K | 26 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.7M | once in about 10 years (modeled) |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | $15K | once in about 80 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Chelan County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Winter storms in WashingtonThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Washington recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Chelan CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Chelan County's FEMA declarations (CSV)53 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis