Kittitas County, Washington

What hazards hit Kittitas County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 158 since 1996. 68% 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 Kittitas County had?

NOAA records 1 tornado in Kittitas County from 2024 to 2024, 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 Kittitas 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.

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 Kittitas County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 9, 2026 avalanche (2 deaths and 1 injury).

The Northwest Avalanche Center reported an avalanche occurred in Longs Pass when 4 backcountry skiers attempted to descend a south facing slope. Two of four skiers passed away from either injuries sustained from the avalanche or from being buried by avalanche debris. In their report, the Avalanche center suggested that the avalanche failed on a melt-freeze crust from a rain even that occurred earlier in the month.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1314555)

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

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 Kittitas 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?

68% 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 Kittitas County

FEMA's register lists 29 declarations that include Kittitas County: 17 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 8 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (10) and flood (8).

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 Kittitas County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 21 flood or flash flood records for Kittitas County from 1997 to 2017, on 17 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Kittitas County ranks 823rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $3.4 million on 255 claims filed in Kittitas County; the most in one year was 70 in 2009. 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 Kittitas County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kittitas County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $77.5 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.

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

Counties that share a border with Kittitas County

1. Chelan County 959
2. Douglas County 601
3. King County 574
4. Grant County 545
5. Yakima County 488
6. Kittitas County 296

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 Kittitas CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Kittitas County's FEMA declarations (CSV)29 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis