Ferry County, Washington

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 53019 · population 7,149 · 2,203 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 359 records for Ferry County, Washington from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 250 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (205 records). 275 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 most damaging was the September 2, 2025 wildfire ($25.0 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 24 declarations naming the county since 1974, 22 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
359on 250 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
02 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$195Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
1strongest EF0
FEMA declarations
24latest 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 Ferry County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 205 since 1996. 50% 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.

Ferry County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Winter storms 205 133 1996-2026 0 0 – 26 of 39
Wildfires 49 36 1998-2025 0 0 $178M 15 of 39
Severe thunderstorm wind 33 20 1992-2023 0 0 $1.5M 12 of 39
Floods 25 23 1998-2023 0 0 $14M 22 of 39
High wind and dust storms 14 14 2002-2026 0 0 $400K 39 of 39
Hail 10 10 1992-2023 0 2 – 13 of 39
Landslides and avalanches 10 10 2011-2023 0 0 $7K 15 of 39
Heavy rain 3 3 1998-2022 0 0 $9K 31 of 39
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 3 1 2018-2018 0 0 – 30 of 39
Extreme cold 2 2 2004-2013 0 0 – 31 of 39
Lightning 2 2 1997-2024 0 0 $38K 21 of 39
Rip currents and high surf 1 1 2016-2016 0 0 – 15 of 39
Heat 1 1 2021-2021 0 0 – 33 of 39
Tornadoes 1 1 2008-2008 0 0 – 27 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.

How many tornadoes has Ferry County had?

NOAA records 1 tornado in Ferry County from 2008 to 2008, the strongest rated EF0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. 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 1 tornado whose track touched Ferry County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 1, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Washington.

Every tornado record filed for Ferry County (1)
Every tornado recorded in Ferry County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2008-04-25 Inchelium, Ferry County EF0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –

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 Ferry County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 11, 2026 high wind ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Ferry County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-11 High WindFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 63 kt wind 0 0 $20K
2026-02-16 Heavy SnowFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 –
2025-12-17 High WindFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 51 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2025-10-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $25M
2025-10-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $200K
2025-09-02 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $25M
2025-09-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $19M
2025-09-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $200K
2025-09-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $18M
2025-08-30 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $18M
2025-08-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $4K
2025-08-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $2.7M

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

Records with deaths or injuries in Ferry County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1992-06-27 HailFerry County 1.50 in hail 0 2 –
The costliest records in Ferry County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-09-02 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $25M
2025-10-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $25M
2025-09-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $19M
2025-08-30 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $18M
2025-09-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $18M
2024-07-17 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $18M
2024-08-01 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $18M
2018-08-11 WildfireFerry County and Okanogan County · forecast zone Okanogan Highlands 0 0 $15M

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 Ferry 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).

Ferry County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Winter storms––––85110244
Wildfires––––1517 z26
Severe thunderstorm wind000043206
Floods––––23182
High wind and dust storms––––0536
Hail00004222

Wildfires in the 2010s: 17 records against 5 in the decade before, 17 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 Ferry 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?

50% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 64 · Feb 32 · Mar 27 · Apr 11 · May 25 · Jun 17 · Jul 37 · Aug 28 · Sep 18 · Oct 18 · Nov 39 · Dec 43 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Ferry County

FEMA's register lists 24 declarations that include Ferry County: 12 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 7 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (12) and severe storm (5).

Declarations including Ferry County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-08-03EM-3650FireWildfires
2026-07-30FM-5653FireModrite Fire
2024-07-24FM-5518FireSwawilla Fire
2024-04-28DR-4775Severe StormSevere Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
2021-02-04DR-4584FireWildfires and Straight-Line Winds
2020-03-22DR-4481BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3427BiologicalCovid-19
2018-08-13FM-5273FireBoyd's Fire
2017-04-21DR-4309FloodSevere Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides
2015-10-20DR-4243FireWildfires and Mudslides
2015-08-21EM-3372FireWildfires
2015-08-21FM-5108FireRenner Fire
2015-08-15FM-5101FireStickpin Fire
2015-08-15FM-5104FireOkanagan County Fire Complex
2012-09-25DR-4083Severe StormSevere Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2009-03-02DR-1825Severe StormSevere Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow
2005-09-07EM-3227Coastal StormHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2001-08-17FM-2378FireWa - Mt Leona Fire Complex - 2378
1998-10-05DR-1252Severe StormWa Storms & Flooding 5/26/98
1997-01-17DR-1159Severe StormSevere Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,Flooding
1991-11-13DR-922FireFires
1980-05-21DR-623Volcanic EruptionVolcanic Eruption, Mt. St. Helens
1977-03-31EM-3037DroughtDrought
1974-01-25DR-414FloodSevere Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding

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 Ferry County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 25 flood or flash flood records for Ferry County from 1998 to 2023, on 23 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Ferry County ranks 2636th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $54,000 on 4 claims filed in Ferry County; the most in one year was 2 in 2018. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1998: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 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 Ferry County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ferry County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $10.5 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Ferry County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
WildfireRelatively Moderate$5.2Monce in about 99 years (modeled)
LandslideRelatively Moderate$165K1.7 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$4.4Mabout once a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Low$482Kabout once a year (modeled)
Volcanic ActivityVery Low$11once in about 1,000 years (modeled)
EarthquakeVery Low$129Konce in about 429 years (modeled)
AvalancheVery Low$103once in about 100 years (modeled)
Heat WaveVery Low$88K3.6 modeled event-days a year

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

Counties that share a border with Ferry County

  1. Okanogan County 1,228
  2. Stevens County 732
  3. Lincoln County 675
  4. Ferry County 359

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

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