Lincoln County, Washington

What hazards hit Lincoln County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 380 since 1996. 54% 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 Lincoln County had?

NOAA records 12 tornadoes in Lincoln County from 1957 to 2024, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 1 injury recorded in the county. That is 8th 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 12 tornadoes whose track touched Lincoln County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 12, 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 Lincoln County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 21, 2026 wildfire ($4.9 million in damage in 2025 dollars).

The fire started on the June 21 by an unknown human cause. It burned 3366 acres of shrub and grass including wheat fields. Evacuations impacted around 200 families. An unknown number of outbuildings were destroyed. It was contained on June 26. Damage is estimated.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1353426)

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 Lincoln 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).

Winter storms in the 2010s: 221 records against 64 in the decade before, 221 of them forecast-zone records. High wind and dust storms in the 2010s: 62 records against 19 in the decade before, 62 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 Lincoln 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?

54% 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 Lincoln County

FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Lincoln County: 12 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 2 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (5) and flood (4).

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 Lincoln County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 16 flood or flash flood records for Lincoln County from 1997 to 2025, on 15 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lincoln County ranks 2291st of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $39,000 on 12 claims filed in Lincoln County; the most in one year was 6 in 1997. 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 Lincoln County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $13.6 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 Lincoln County

1. Spokane County 1,492
2. Okanogan County 1,228
3. Stevens County 732
4. Lincoln County 675
5. Grant County 545
6. Adams County 367
7. Ferry County 359
8. Whitman County 343

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 Lincoln CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Lincoln County's FEMA declarations (CSV)17 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis