Washington severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 33 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 626 severe thunderstorm wind events in Washington from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 19 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 25, 2013 thunderstorm wind in Pend Oreille County: 1 death, 1 injury and $63,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Washington ranks 46th of 52 states and territories by count and 47th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Washington, 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
- 6261955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 19average
- Deaths
- 535 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $37Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 201368 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 Washington?
Washington averages about 19 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 46th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2013 (68). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Washington records 94 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 47th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
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.
Which counties in Washington have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Spokane County leads Washington: 56 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 31.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Spokane County has the most thunderstorm wind records (107 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Washington?
Washington's severe thunderstorm wind events by month. The busiest month is July (126 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 10 · Feb 2 · Mar 24 · Apr 31 · May 113 · Jun 119 · Jul 126 · Aug 96 · Sep 80 · Oct 9 · Nov 6 · Dec 10 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Washington?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-08-25 | Thunderstorm WindCamden, Pend Oreille County Numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout the county resulting in power outages and some damage to structures. Power outages were reported in Diamond Lake and Tiger but it was assumed many more power outages occurred in other communities. There was one fatality and one injury when a 200 foot tall tree ... | 52 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $63K |
| 2010-12-14 | Thunderstorm WindHarper, Kitsap County A woman living in the Harper area was killed when a tree fell onto her home around 1230 am. | 52 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $34K |
| 2008-08-18 | Thunderstorm WindDiamond Lake, Pend Oreille County A man was killed after a tree fell on him during a thunderstorm. The man was trying to keep a dock from floating away during the high winds. The exact age of the man is not known, but was in his late 50s. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2020-05-30 | Thunderstorm WindWashtucna, Adams County The Washtucna Community reported that a man lost his life during storm clean up. Due to strong winds, numerous trees were uprooted, property damage, and an unoccupied trailer was blown into a power pole. | 27 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $17K |
| 2020-05-30 | Thunderstorm WindJoso, Franklin County A small recreational fishing vessel with 3 people on board capsized in rough seas created by a severe thunderstorms on the Snake River. 2 people (one male and one female) were able to make it safely to shore. One male was missing until Sunday morning (5/31) when he was located deceased by Search and Rescue. | 61 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
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 Washington
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-07-23 | Thunderstorm WindSouth Cheney, Spokane County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 6 | $6.2M |
| 2016-05-04 | Thunderstorm WindSpokane County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5.9M |
| 1995-07-09 | Thunderstorm WindGarfield County | 0 | 0 | $5.8M | |
| 2014-08-02 | Thunderstorm WindHite, Spokane County One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3.9M |
| 2001-05-24 | Thunderstorm WindOkanogan County | 67 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 2006-05-19 | Thunderstorm WindBurbank, Walla Walla County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.5M |
| 2002-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindPasco, Franklin County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 66 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.3M |
| 2012-07-20 | Thunderstorm WindKeller, Ferry County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
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 Washington?
Washington'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.
| Decade | Washington | United States | Washington's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 8 | 3,482 | 0.23% |
| 1960s | 9 | 10,124 | 0.09% |
| 1970s | 15 | 18,714 | 0.08% |
| 1980s | 25 | 39,604 | 0.06% |
| 1990s | 62 | 85,554 | 0.07% |
| 2000s | 167 | 129,990 | 0.13% |
| 2010s | 226 | 161,286 | 0.14% |
| 2020-26 | 114 | 126,815 | 0.09% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Washington
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindMeadow Glade, Clark County | 81 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 2026-04-01 | Thunderstorm WindMinnick, Walla Walla County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-10-25 | Thunderstorm WindSpokane County | 48 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2025-10-12 | Thunderstorm WindHighland, Clark County | 74 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2025-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindDeer Park Airport, Spokane County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindDiamond Lake, Pend Oreille County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindMilan, Spokane County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $8K |
| 2025-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindPeone, Spokane County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindElk, Spokane County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindSpringdale, Stevens County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindDeer Park, Spokane County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindDeer Park Airport, Spokane County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $500 |
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 Washington
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 20 declarations in Washington, 20 of them major disasters; the latest on April 28, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-28 | DR-4775 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 17 |
| 2023-01-12 | DR-4682 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 9 |
| 2021-04-08 | DR-4593 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 18 |
| 2019-03-04 | DR-4418 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, Tornado | 8 |
| 2016-01-15 | DR-4249 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 16 |
| 2015-10-15 | DR-4242 | Severe Windstorm | 6 |
| 2012-09-25 | DR-4083 | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 3 |
| 2012-03-05 | DR-4056 | Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 11 |
| 2011-03-25 | DR-1963 | Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 7 |
| 2009-03-02 | DR-1825 | Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow | 34 |
| 2007-12-08 | DR-1734 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 12 |
| 2007-02-14 | DR-1682 | Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, and Mudslides | 19 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Spokane County: the county's whole recordThe Washington county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in WashingtonTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Washington4,060 records
- High wind and dust storms in Washington2,210 records
- Floods in Washington832 records