52
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$43K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Benton County, Washington: 52 recorded events between 1978 and 2020. The strongest on record measured 70. That places the county #2,700 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Benton County, Washington: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Benton County is the 2010s, when 25 of the county's 52 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Benton County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 59.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,700 for this hazard and #3 within Washington, putting it in the 14.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Benton County with 13 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2020 | KENNEWICK | 52 | $0 |
| May 31, 2020 | PROSSER | 61 | $0 |
| May 30, 2020 | PLYMOUTH | 63 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2019 | HANFORD | 54 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2017 | ACTON | 59 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2014 | HANFORD WORKS | 59 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2014 | PROSSER | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2014 | BADGER | 52 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 2013 | ACTON | 67 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 2013 | (RLD)RICHLAND ARPT | 52 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Swirling winds from a thunderstorm gust front picked up lawn furniture which flew 500 feet, crashed into, and broke the back window of a car traveling along Byron Road west of Prosser. Cushions from the furniture traveled 300-400 yards across the Yakima River. The swirling winds were about 5 yards wide and traveled 250 yards to the north and then dissipated in trees north of the Yakima River.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Benton County, Washington?
52 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Benton County between 1978 and 2020, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Benton County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Benton County measured 70.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Benton County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Benton County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/benton-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.