PlainHazard

District of Columbia severe thunderstorm wind

Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 1 county with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 344 severe thunderstorm wind events in District of Columbia from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 11 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the May 12, 1993 thunderstorm wind in District of Columbia: 1 death, 11 injuries and $102,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. District of Columbia ranks 50th of 52 states and territories by count.

Severe thunderstorm wind in District of Columbia, 1955 to 2026

Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
Records
3441955 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
11average
Deaths
343 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$33Mas filed
Busiest year
201224 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are severe thunderstorm wind events common in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia averages about 11 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 50th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2012 (24).

  1. 1. Maryland 8719
  2. 2. New Jersey 8233
  3. 3. Massachusetts 5865
  4. 4. Delaware 5691
  5. 5. South Carolina 5494
  6. 6. Ohio 5373
  7. 7. Pennsylvania 5299
  8. 8. Virginia 5237
  9. 9. Connecticut 5070
  10. 10. Kentucky 4969

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

When is the severe thunderstorm season in District of Columbia?

56% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (117 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 1 · Feb 5 · Mar 14 · Apr 16 · May 31 · Jun 76 · Jul 117 · Aug 59 · Sep 15 · Oct 3 · Nov 7 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.

What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia: the storms with the most deaths since 1955
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1993-05-12 Thunderstorm WindDistrict of Columbia A strong cold front approaching the mid-Atlantic region including the District of Columbia, produced violent thunderstorm winds and damaging lightning. The north part of the district was hardest hit. One woman was killed and another woman and a man were injured when the car they were in was smashed by a tree uprooted ... 1 11 $102K
2002-04-19 Thunderstorm WindBrookland, District of Columbia One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A thunderstorm with hail and high winds moved through the District of Columbia during the afternoon of the 19th. Winds gusted as high as 70 MPH and at least 82 trees were downed across the city. Most of the damage was reported in the northern sections of town. Trees fell onto power lines, 10 cars, 4 homes, and several ... 61 kt wind 1 3 $820K
2002-08-03 Thunderstorm WindSoutheast Portion, District of Columbia A man was killed and two women were injured when a tree fell onto a car. Other trees were also downed nearby. 1 2 $49K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in District of Columbia

District of Columbia: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2023-07-29 Thunderstorm WindGeorgetown, District of Columbia One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. 73 kt wind 0 2 $24M
2000-08-07 Thunderstorm WindCountywide, District of Columbia 0 0 $1.7M
2025-06-19 Thunderstorm WindNational Arboretum, District of Columbia One storm episode: 7 records; the totals are the episode's. 52 kt wind 0 0 $1.7M
2003-06-12 Thunderstorm WindSoutheast Portion, District of Columbia 66 kt wind 0 4 $963K
2002-04-19 Thunderstorm WindBrookland, District of Columbia One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. 61 kt wind 1 3 $820K
2020-07-22 Thunderstorm WindUs Capitol, District of Columbia 60 kt wind 0 0 $285K
1996-06-24 Thunderstorm WindCitywide, District of Columbia 0 0 $282K
2021-07-01 Thunderstorm WindUs Capitol, District of Columbia 55 kt wind 0 5 $272K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are severe thunderstorm wind events becoming more frequent in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Severe thunderstorm wind: District of Columbia and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeDistrict of ColumbiaUnited StatesDistrict of Columbia's share
1955-5903,4820
1960s010,1240
1970s518,7140.03%
1980s1439,6040.04%
1990s3585,5540.04%
2000s58129,9900.04%
2010s139161,2860.09%
2020-2693126,8150.07%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in District of Columbia

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindAnacostia, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindUs Capitol, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindAnacostia, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindGeorgetown, District of Columbia 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindGeorgetown, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-03-16 Thunderstorm WindGeorgetown, District of Columbia 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-16 Thunderstorm WindDalecarlia Reservoir, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-03-16 Thunderstorm WindGeorgetown, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2025-07-31 Thunderstorm WindTenleytown, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $6K
2025-07-27 Thunderstorm WindBolling Afb, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2025-07-09 Thunderstorm WindUs Capitol, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $30K
2025-06-19 Thunderstorm WindNational Arboretum, District of Columbia 52 kt wind 0 0 $1.0M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in District of Columbia

FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 9 declarations in District of Columbia, 8 of them major disasters; the latest on July 31, 2012.

The 12 most recent
DeclaredNumberTitleAreas named
2012-07-31DR-4073Severe Storms1
2010-03-24DR-1890Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms1
2003-03-14EM-3178Snow1
2001-08-16DR-1389Severe Storms, Flooding and Mudslides1
2000-08-17DR-1338Severe Thunderstorms1
2000-04-10DR-1325Severe Winter Storm1
1996-01-11DR-1080Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)1
1994-06-17DR-1030Severe Winter Ice Storm1
1989-08-28DR-838Severe Storms & High Winds1

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

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