Clark County, Washington

What hazards hit Clark County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 198 since 1996. 61% of its winter storm records since 1996 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.

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.

How many tornadoes has Clark County had?

NOAA records 15 tornadoes in Clark County from 1972 to 2023, the strongest rated F3, with 6 deaths and 301 injuries recorded in the county. That is 1st of 39 Washington counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 15 tornadoes whose track touched Clark County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 15, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 6 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Washington.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Clark County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 6, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($4,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

An unusually intense storm was able to generate a strong downdraft despite limited environmental support, which resulted in a narrow damage swath in Meadow Glade, WA in Clark County. NWS Portland conducted a damage survey in the affected area on Sunday, June 7. NWS storm surveyors found a small area at the west end of the storm track which experienced heavier damage, including a metal roof peeled back from an outbuilding and multiple hardwood trees with trunks snapped multiple feet above ground level. These damage indicators suggest a maximum wind speed of just over 90 mph. As the storm moved east, associated wind speeds weakened, producing minor damage including small downed or broken tree limbs, lifted roof shingles, and damaged fences, corresponding to wind speeds of 50-65 mph.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1360828)

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

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

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 Clark 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

61% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Clark County

FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Clark County: 14 major disasters, 2 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (6) and flood (5).

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 Clark County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 16 flood or flash flood records for Clark County from 1996 to 2022, on 11 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Clark County ranks 1048th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.3 million on 162 claims filed in Clark County; the most in one year was 64 in 1996. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Clark County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clark County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $157 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Clark County

1. Multnomah County, OR 521
2. Cowlitz County 488
3. Columbia County, OR 412
4. Skamania County 403
5. Clark County 371

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next

• Tornadoes in WashingtonEvery Washington tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
• 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 Clark CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Clark County's FEMA declarations (CSV)17 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis