Whatcom County, Washington

What hazards hit Whatcom County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 218 since 1996. 45% 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 Whatcom County had?

NOAA records 1 tornado in Whatcom County from 2004 to 2004, the strongest rated F0, 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 Whatcom 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 Whatcom County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 21, 2021 winter weather (1 death).

Shortly before 5 PM PST, in the heart of the evening commute, freezing rain began to fall across portions of Western Whatcom County as cold surface air from Fraser Outflow began to filter in below slightly warmer, Pacific-influenced air aloft. State troopers responded to a fatality collision involving multiple vehicles along southbound I-5 at MP 263. Roadway was fully blocked for a period of time. A report of around 0.05 inches of freezing rain was reported in Lynden the evening of Dec 21 with a surface temperature ranging from 28-30F.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 998616)

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 Whatcom 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?

45% 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 Whatcom County

FEMA's register lists 27 declarations that include Whatcom County: 23 major disasters, 3 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for flood (13) and severe storm (6).

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 Whatcom County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 18 flood or flash flood records for Whatcom County from 1997 to 2022, on 18 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Whatcom County ranks 284th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $53.1 million on 1,211 claims filed in Whatcom County; the most in one year was 329 in 2021. 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 Whatcom County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Whatcom County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $111 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 Whatcom County

1. Okanogan County 1,228
2. Whatcom County 455
3. Skagit County 337
4. San Juan County 127

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 Whatcom CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Whatcom County's FEMA declarations (CSV)27 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis