Thurston County, Washington

What hazards hit Thurston County most?

The most frequent records are high wind and dust records: 56 since 1996. 48% of its high wind and dust records since 1996 fell in November and December. 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 Thurston County had?

NOAA records 5 tornadoes in Thurston County from 1994 to 2019, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 3rd 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 5 tornadoes whose track touched Thurston County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 5, 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 Thurston County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 22, 2017 wildfire ($4.8 million in damage in 2025 dollars).

A wildfire started and thanks to westerly winds of 10 to 15 mph, erupted quickly in the Scatter Creek area on the afternoon of the 22nd. The fire started on the west side of Interstate-5 and jumped the freeway to the east side burning six structures including four homes and two businesses. 1000 utility customers lost power and a number of power poles were lost. One of the structures lost was the 1860 Miller-Brewer homestead and barn. 100 families evacuated their homes. The two businesses lost personal and commercial vehicles and equipment. The fire burned about 384 acres.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 718091)

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 Thurston 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?

48% of its high wind and dust records since 1996 fell in November and December. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Thurston County

FEMA's register lists 30 declarations that include Thurston County: 26 major disasters, 3 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for flood (14) and severe storm (9).

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 Thurston County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 17 flood or flash flood records for Thurston County from 1997 to 2022, on 17 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Thurston County ranks 616th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $6.5 million on 387 claims filed in Thurston County; the most in one year was 87 in 1996. 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 Thurston County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Thurston County Relatively High overall, with an expected annual loss of $191 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 Thurston County

1. Pierce County 436
2. Lewis County 374
3. Grays Harbor County 298
4. Mason County 265
5. Thurston County 155

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
• High wind and dust storms in WashingtonThe state's high wind and dust 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 Thurston CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Thurston County's FEMA declarations (CSV)30 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis