KinwarnWashington tornado warnings
The National Weather Service issued 22 tornado warnings, 190 severe thunderstorm warnings and 95 flash flood warnings for Washington from 2016 to 2025, about 2.2, 19 and 9.5 a year. That ranks 43rd of 52 states and territories for tornado warnings. Pacific County had the most of any county: 8 tornado warnings.
Washington warnings and radar right now
Checking the National Weather Service for Washington…
Washington counties ranked by tornado warnings
Warnings that listed each county, 2016 to 2025, and tornadoes recorded in the county since 1950. A warning can list several counties, so the county numbers add up to more than the state total.
| County | Tornado warnings | Severe thunderstorm | Flash flood | Tornadoes since 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific County | 8 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Grays Harbor County | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Jefferson County | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Clark County | 2 | 11 | 0 | 15 |
| Kitsap County | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Wahkiakum County | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason County | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Clallam County | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stevens County | 0 | 31 | 7 | 5 |
| Spokane County | 0 | 25 | 5 | 16 |
| Pend Oreille County | 0 | 23 | 3 | 1 |
| Whitman County | 0 | 22 | 0 | 3 |
| Ferry County | 0 | 19 | 11 | 1 |
| Asotin County | 0 | 16 | 6 | 0 |
| Benton County | 0 | 15 | 3 | 5 |
| Lincoln County | 0 | 15 | 1 | 12 |
| Walla Walla County | 0 | 13 | 3 | 5 |
| Garfield County | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| Skamania County | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| Douglas County | 0 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Klickitat County | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Lewis County | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| Grant County | 0 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
| Okanogan County | 0 | 9 | 35 | 5 |
| Adams County | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| Franklin County | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| Pierce County | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| Yakima County | 0 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
| Columbia County | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Cowlitz County | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| King County | 0 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Thurston County | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| Snohomish County | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Chelan County | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 |
| Island County | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Skagit County | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kittitas County | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| San Juan County | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Whatcom County | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Washington warnings by year
Each warning counts once for the state, however many counties it covered. 2008 is the first full year the National Weather Service drew an outline around every warning.
Tornadoes since 1950
136 tornadoes have been recorded in Washington since 1950. They killed 6 people and injured 303. May had the most (32).
| Year | Tornado | Severe thunderstorm | Flash flood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 to Oct 19 | 0 | 15 | 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
| 2024 | 3 | 14 | 5 |
| 2023 | 1 | 32 | 22 |
| 2022 | 0 | 27 | 29 |
| 2021 | 5 | 13 | 2 |
| 2020 | 5 | 26 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 | 23 | 18 |
| 2018 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 27 | 3 |
| 2016 | 4 | 11 | 10 |
| 2015 | 0 | 22 | 21 |
| 2014 | 3 | 39 | 25 |
| 2013 | 0 | 55 | 34 |
| 2012 | 0 | 43 | 11 |
| 2011 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| 2010 | 0 | 16 | 9 |
| 2009 | 1 | 37 | 10 |
| 2008 | 1 | 55 | 4 |
What stands out in Washington
2021 was the busiest year for tornado warnings in Washington since 2008, with 5 tornado warnings. The busiest year for flash flood warnings was 2013, with 34.
No warning for Washington has been raised to a tornado emergency or a flash flood emergency since 2008. Those are the rare warnings the Weather Service issues when a severe threat to life is happening or about to happen.
1 severe thunderstorm warning for Washington carried the “destructive” tag (winds of 80 mph or more, or hail 2.75 inches or larger) since the tag started in August 2021. Only those severe thunderstorm warnings set off Wireless Emergency Alerts on phones.
3 tornadoes in Washington since 1950 were rated F3 or EF3, the strongest recorded there. The most recent was on April 5, 1972.
National Weather Service warnings from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive through October 19, 2026; tornado ratings from the Storm Prediction Center and NOAA Storm Events.
States next to Washington
Tornado warnings for each neighboring state, 2016 to 2025.
Get alerts for a home anywhere in Washington.
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Washington tornado warnings: questions people ask
How many tornado warnings does Washington get a year?
About 2.2 a year: the National Weather Service issued 22 tornado warnings for Washington from 2016 to 2025, 43rd of 52 states and territories.
Which Washington county gets the most tornado warnings?
Pacific County has the most: 8 tornado warnings listed it from 2016 to 2025, ahead of Grays Harbor County with 8. A warning can list several counties, so county counts add up to more than the state total.
When is tornado season in Washington?
May and April: 38% of the 136 tornadoes recorded in Washington since 1950 came in those two months.
About these numbers
Counts are National Weather Service warnings that listed a Washington county, through October 19, 2026. How Kinwarn counts · Washington data (CSV)
Cite: Kinwarn. “Washington tornado warnings.” kinwarn.com/washington. National Weather Service data through October 19, 2026.
Sources: IEM warning archive · NWS 2007 outlines · SPC tornado database · Census places · Census population estimates · NWS tornado alerts