Snohomish County, Washington
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 53061 · population 827,611 · 2,087 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 542 records for Snohomish County, Washington from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 384 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (261 records). 488 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 March 22, 2014 debris flow: 43 deaths, 12 injuries and $74.8 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 37 declarations naming the county since 1964, 35 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
- 542on 384 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 7660 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $226Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 7strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 37latest 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 Snohomish County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 261 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 | 261 | 196 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 4 | $16M | 18 of 39 |
| High wind and dust storms | 143 | 96 | 1996-2025 | 16 | 25 | $64M | 23 of 39 |
| Floods | 46 | 30 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 0 | $43M | 12 of 39 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 27 | 25 | 1997-2022 | 54 | 16 | $83M | 6 of 39 |
| Heat | 16 | 10 | 2008-2023 | 2 | 14 | – | 20 of 39 |
| Lightning | 9 | 9 | 1996-2008 | 1 | 1 | $112K | 5 of 39 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 9 | 9 | 1997-2016 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 of 39 |
| Drought | 8 | 2 | 2001-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 of 39 |
| Tornadoes | 7 | 7 | 1970-2006 | 0 | 0 | $381K | 9 of 39 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 5 | 5 | 1976-2012 | 0 | 0 | $47K | 26 of 39 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 4 | 2001-2007 | 0 | 0 | $14M | 22 of 39 |
| Hail | 3 | 3 | 2001-2006 | 0 | 0 | $76K | 26 of 39 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 2 | 2 | 2003-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 39 |
| Extreme cold | 1 | 1 | 1996-1996 | 1 | 0 | – | 33 of 39 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2017-2017 | 0 | 0 | $5.4M | 33 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 Snohomish County had?
NOAA records 7 tornadoes in Snohomish County from 1970 to 2006, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 9th 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 7 tornadoes whose track touched Snohomish County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 7, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Washington.
Every tornado record filed for Snohomish County (7)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-06-16 | Sultan, Snohomish County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-05-18 | Arlington, Snohomish County | F1 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 2004-06-05 | Stanwood, Snohomish County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-08-24 | Snohomish County | F0 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1986-05-13 | Snohomish County | F2 0.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1971-10-26 | Snohomish County | F1 3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1970-11-24 | Snohomish County | F2 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
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, 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 Snohomish County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the November 19, 2024 high wind (1 death).
A woman died when a tree fell on her home 3 miles southeast of Kirkland.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1226565)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-25 | High WindKing County and Snohomish County · forecast zone Cascades Of Snohomish And King Counties | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-15 | Heavy SnowKing County and Snohomish County · forecast zone Cascades Of Snohomish And King Counties | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-05 | Winter WeatherSnohomish County · forecast zone Everett And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-05 | Winter WeatherKing County and 2 more · forecast zone East Puget Sound Lowlands | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-04 | Winter WeatherSnohomish County · forecast zone Everett And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-04 | Winter WeatherKing County and Snohomish County · forecast zone Bellevue And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-03 | Winter WeatherSnohomish County · forecast zone Everett And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-03 | Winter WeatherKing County and 2 more · forecast zone East Puget Sound Lowlands | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-11-19 | High WindKing County and Snohomish County · forecast zone Bellevue And Vicinity | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2024-11-19 | High WindSnohomish County · forecast zone Everett And Vicinity | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2023-01-09 | Strong WindKing County and 2 more · forecast zone East Puget Sound Lowlands | 39 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2022-11-04 | AvalancheSnohomish County · forecast zone Everett And Vicinity | 0 | 1 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-03-22 | Debris FlowOso, Snohomish County On a warm and dry 22nd of March, 2014, a large landslide occurred four miles east of the town of Oso, Washington. The slide debris, traveling at over 60 miles per hour, crossed the entire river valley, covering an area of over a square mile with an approximate deposit thickness of 15 to 75 feet in some areas. The ... | 43 | 12 | $75M | |
| 2008-05-17 | HeatKing County and 2 more · forecast zone East Puget Sound Lowlands There were two indirect fatalities due to the heat. Both are missing and likely drowned. One kayaker spilled into the Green River and disappeared. One of 4 rafters, who where thrown into the Green River when their raft flipped, disappeared (King County). The Green river was well below flood stage. | 2 | 14 | – | |
| 2021-10-24 | High WindKing County and Snohomish County · forecast zone Cascades Of Snohomish And King Counties Eastside Fire & Rescue says two people died when a tree fell on their car in the 7700 block of Preston Fall City Rd SE. As wind blew and rain fell, a huge tree snapped, then plunged onto the roadway at about 3 p.m. on Preston-Fall City Road.Camille Martlin, 59, and her son Max Martlin, 22 were instantly killed when ... | 52 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 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 | – | |
| 1997-03-30 | High WindSnohomish County · forecast zone Everett And Vicinity Two deaths were reported from a wind storm that hit on Easter Sunday. One woman was killed when a tree fell on the pickup truck her husband was driving. Another man died when his canoe overturned in the winds and seas on Burley Lagoon off of Puget Sound. Many other boaters on Puget Sound needed rescuing, although a ... | 1 | 4 | $460K | |
| 2012-01-19 | Ice StormKing County and 2 more · forecast zone East Puget Sound Lowlands Downed trees and damaged exhibits and fences totaled about 200,000 at Northwest Trek in Eatonville. A WSDOT employee was injured by an ice coated tree limb, and another was injured in an icy crash on I-405. Power infrastructure was also damaged. | 1 | 2 | $1.0M | |
| 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 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-03-22 | Debris FlowOso, Snohomish County | 43 | 12 | $75M | |
| 2003-10-20 | FloodSkagit County and Snohomish County · forecast zone Northwest Interior | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2006-12-14 | High WindKing County and 2 more · forecast zone East Puget Sound Lowlands | 59 kt wind | 0 | 16 | $15M |
| 2007-12-03 | Heavy RainLynnwood, Snohomish County | 0 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2009-01-07 | FloodGold Bar, Snohomish County | 0 | 0 | $8.9M | |
| 2006-12-14 | High WindSnohomish County · forecast zone Everett And Vicinity | 57 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $7.9M |
| 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 |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: November 24, 1970 (tornado, Snohomish County); October 26, 1971 (tornado, Snohomish County).
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 Snohomish 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 | – | – | – | – | 18 | 70 | 101 | 72 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 25 | 54 | 49 | 15 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 10 | 27 | 5 | 4 |
| Landslides and avalanches | – | – | – | – | 3 | 8 | 14 | 2 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
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 104 · Feb 73 · Mar 68 · Apr 26 · May 14 · Jun 11 · Jul 8 · Aug 8 · Sep 9 · Oct 44 · Nov 79 · Dec 98 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Snohomish County
FEMA's register lists 37 declarations that include Snohomish County: 32 major disasters, 4 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (15) and flood (13).
| 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 |
| 2023-01-12 | DR-4682 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2022-09-10 | FM-5455 | Fire | Bolt Creek Fire |
| 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 |
| 2019-03-04 | DR-4418 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, Tornado |
| 2016-01-15 | DR-4249 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-10-15 | DR-4242 | Severe Storm | Severe Windstorm |
| 2014-04-02 | DR-4168 | Mud/Landslide | Flooding and Mudslides |
| 2014-03-24 | EM-3370 | Mud/Landslide | Flooding and Mudslides |
| 2012-03-05 | DR-4056 | 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 |
| 2006-05-17 | DR-1641 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Tidal Surge, 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 |
| 1997-04-02 | DR-1172 | Flood | Heavy Rains, Snow Melt, Flooding, Land & Mud Slides |
| 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 |
| 1993-03-04 | DR-981 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms & High Wind |
| 1991-03-08 | DR-896 | Flood | Severe Storms & High Tides |
| 1990-11-26 | DR-883 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1986-12-15 | DR-784 | 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 |
| 1977-12-10 | DR-545 | Flood | Severe Storms,Mudslides, & Flooding |
| 1975-12-13 | DR-492 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1965-05-11 | DR-196 | Earthquake | Earthquake |
| 1964-12-29 | DR-185 | Flood | Heavy Rains & 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 Snohomish County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 46 flood or flash flood records for Snohomish County from 1996 to 2023, on 30 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Snohomish County ranks 194th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $37.1 million on 1,961 claims filed in Snohomish County; the most in one year was 329 in 2006. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1979: 13 · 1980: 60 · 1981: 1 · 1982: 33 · 1983: 6 · 1984: 21 · 1986: 62 · 1987: 6 · 1988: 2 · 1989: 3 · 1990: 241 · 1991: 2 · 1992: 1 · 1993: 1 · 1994: 2 · 1995: 180 · 1996: 97 · 1997: 24 · 1998: 9 · 1999: 27 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 11 · 2003: 101 · 2004: 4 · 2005: 3 · 2006: 329 · 2007: 35 · 2008: 14 · 2009: 215 · 2010: 75 · 2011: 18 · 2012: 36 · 2013: 5 · 2014: 16 · 2015: 129 · 2016: 20 · 2017: 3 · 2018: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2020: 18 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2023: 30 · 2025: 73 · 2026: 3; 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 Snohomish County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Snohomish County Relatively High overall, with an expected annual loss of $409 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Very High | $25M | 4.1 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Very High | $3.6M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | $247M | once in about 28 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | $12M | 3.4 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $112M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $761K | 32 a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively High | $1.7M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.3M | 8.6 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Snohomish County
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 Snohomish CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Snohomish County's FEMA declarations (CSV)37 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis