Skagit County, Washington
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 53057 · population 129,360 · 1,730 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 337 records for Skagit County, Washington from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 285 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (207 records). 321 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 January 1, 2008 avalanche, filed for the forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 29 declarations naming the county since 1971, 27 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides” on April 7, 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
- 337on 285 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 1412 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $63Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 29latest 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 Skagit County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 207 since 1996. 44% 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 207 | 188 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 0 | $1.9M | 13 of 39 |
| High wind and dust storms | 67 | 53 | 1997-2024 | 1 | 1 | $8.5M | 28 of 39 |
| Floods | 31 | 24 | 1997-2024 | 1 | 2 | $44M | 15 of 39 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 12 | 12 | 1999-2016 | 11 | 4 | $5.6M | 10 of 39 |
| Heat | 7 | 6 | 2021-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 of 39 |
| Drought | 6 | 2 | 2001-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 of 39 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 3 | 2001-2006 | 0 | 0 | $68K | 26 of 39 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | 2003-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 39 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2007-2007 | 0 | 5 | – | 25 of 39 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2011-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 28 of 39 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2017-2017 | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | 30 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 Skagit County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the November 28, 2021 flood (1 death and $3.3 million in damage in 2025 dollars).
Flooding of minor category occurred on the Skagit and Samish Rivers, as well as other streams and urban areas.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 993339)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-03 | Winter WeatherSkagit County · forecast zone Western Skagit County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-03 | Winter WeatherSkagit County and Whatcom County · forecast zone Cascades Of Whatcom And Skagit Counties | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-01 | Winter WeatherSkagit County and Whatcom County · forecast zone Cascades Of Whatcom And Skagit Counties | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-11-28 | FloodBlanchard, Skagit County | 1 | 0 | $3.3M | |
| 2021-11-12 | FloodMarblemount, Skagit County | 0 | 0 | $13M | |
| 2017-11-13 | High WindSkagit County · forecast zone Western Skagit County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $301K |
| 2017-10-18 | High WindSkagit County · forecast zone Western Skagit County | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $752K |
| 2017-07-30 | WildfireSkagit County and Whatcom County · forecast zone Cascades Of Whatcom And Skagit Counties | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2016-01-24 | AvalancheSkagit County and Whatcom County · forecast zone Cascades Of Whatcom And Skagit Counties | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2015-08-29 | Strong WindSkagit County · forecast zone Western Skagit | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $311K |
| 2014-05-14 | AvalancheSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-01-18 | AvalancheSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes | 1 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-01-01 | AvalancheSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes Just north of the Mount Baker ski area in the Excelsior Pass area, 2 snowmobilers died and 1 was injured in an avalanche. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-02-14 | AvalancheSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes A 19 year old snowboarder died in an avalanche on Mt Baker, while a 25 year old is assumed dead. The body was still buried in deep snow. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2003-12-12 | AvalancheSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone C&E Whatcom/E Skagit/E Snohmish 1 person died and two were injured while snowshoeing near Mount Baker ski area. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2016-01-24 | AvalancheSkagit County and Whatcom County · forecast zone Cascades Of Whatcom And Skagit Counties Mark Panthen, 36, of Bellingham, died Sunday afternoon after two avalanches on the north slope of the mountain, next to the Mount Baker Ski Resort. A man who was skiing with Panthen called an employee of the resort from a cellphone around 12:45 p.m., saying Panthen was injured and needed help. There were two ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2021-11-28 | FloodBlanchard, Skagit County Flooding of minor category occurred on the Skagit and Samish Rivers, as well as other streams and urban areas. | 1 | 0 | $3.3M | |
| 2014-05-14 | AvalancheSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes Two skiers in party, one caught by a natural avalanche while ascending on foot and carried several thousand feet, one fatality. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-01-18 | AvalancheSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes Two climbers, one climber involved with a cornice failure resulting in one fatality. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-11-22 | Winter WeatherSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes A man was killed when his truck slid backward into an embankment north of Darrington in Skagit county. | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-10-20 | FloodSkagit County and Snohomish County · forecast zone Northwest Interior | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2021-11-12 | FloodMarblemount, Skagit County | 0 | 0 | $13M | |
| 2003-10-16 | FloodSkagit County and Snohomish County · forecast zone Northwest Interior | 0 | 0 | $5.6M | |
| 2009-01-07 | Debris FlowSkagit County and 2 more · forecast zone West Slopes Northern Cascades And Passes | 0 | 0 | $5.5M | |
| 2021-11-28 | FloodBlanchard, Skagit County | 1 | 0 | $3.3M | |
| 2006-11-15 | High WindSkagit County · forecast zone Western Skagit County | 64 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 2017-07-30 | WildfireSkagit County and Whatcom County · forecast zone Cascades Of Whatcom And Skagit Counties | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2009-01-08 | FloodAllen, Skagit County | 0 | 0 | $2.8M |
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 Skagit 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 | 50 | 96 | 51 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 15 | 29 | 20 | 3 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 5 | 18 | 4 | 4 |
| Landslides and avalanches | – | – | – | – | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
44% 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 67 · Feb 39 · Mar 49 · Apr 14 · May 4 · Jun 2 · Jul 5 · Aug 8 · Sep 3 · Oct 25 · Nov 56 · Dec 65 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Skagit County
FEMA's register lists 29 declarations that include Skagit County: 25 major disasters, 3 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for flood (12) and severe storm (11).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2024-04-28 | DR-4775 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-01-12 | DR-4682 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2022-03-29 | DR-4650 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding |
| 2022-01-05 | DR-4635 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2021-04-08 | DR-4593 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2020-04-23 | DR-4539 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2020-03-22 | DR-4481 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3427 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2015-08-24 | FM-5109 | Fire | Goodell Fire |
| 2011-03-25 | DR-1963 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 2007-12-08 | DR-1734 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3227 | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-11-07 | DR-1499 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2001-03-01 | DR-1361 | Earthquake | Earthquake |
| 1997-01-17 | DR-1159 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,Flooding |
| 1996-02-09 | DR-1100 | Flood | High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1996-01-03 | DR-1079 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, High Wind, and Flooding |
| 1991-03-08 | DR-896 | Flood | Severe Storms & High Tides |
| 1990-11-26 | DR-883 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1980-05-21 | DR-623 | Volcanic Eruption | Volcanic Eruption, Mt. St. Helens |
| 1979-12-31 | DR-612 | Flood | Storms, High Tides, Mudslides & Flooding |
| 1975-12-13 | DR-492 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1971-02-09 | DR-300 | Flood | Heavy Rains, Melting Snows & 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 Skagit County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 31 flood or flash flood records for Skagit County from 1997 to 2024, on 24 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Skagit County ranks 274th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $22.7 million on 1,294 claims filed in Skagit County; the most in one year was 272 in 1990. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 47 · 1980: 79 · 1981: 1 · 1982: 5 · 1983: 16 · 1984: 7 · 1986: 2 · 1989: 29 · 1990: 272 · 1991: 1 · 1992: 1 · 1995: 217 · 1996: 9 · 1997: 6 · 1998: 1 · 1999: 5 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 3 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 178 · 2004: 14 · 2005: 1 · 2006: 96 · 2007: 2 · 2008: 3 · 2009: 23 · 2010: 6 · 2011: 13 · 2012: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2015: 11 · 2016: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2018: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2021: 70 · 2022: 10 · 2023: 1 · 2025: 124 · 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 Skagit County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Skagit County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $80.9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively High | $3.3M | once in about 476 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | $1.2M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | $7.0M | 3.4 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $33M | once in about 28 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | $83K | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $34M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $162K | 37 a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | $107K | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Skagit 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 Skagit CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Skagit County's FEMA declarations (CSV)29 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis