Columbia County, Washington severe weather history spans 26 recorded events between 1966 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 38.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,133 nationally and #28 in Washington.
26
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$153K
Property damage
The record
What the Columbia County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Columbia County, Washington severe weather history averages 0.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 11 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 25 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $103K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Columbia County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 10 | 0 | $0 | 1.5 | 1991–2021 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8 | 0 | $50K | 61 | 2000–2020 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $103K | F2 | 1966–2000 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2022 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2026 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Columbia County, Washington severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A trained spotter 6 miles east of Dayton, WA reported that 2.5 inches of rainfall had fallen in less than an hour. This then led to runoff depositing mud and rock from an adjacent farm field, approximately 1 foot deep in some places, across Patit road. The flowing watr and mud also displaced a tractor in the field. Crops were also reported damaged from the heavy rain.
The North Fork and main Fork of the Touchet River as well as Coppei Creek and the Tuccanon River saw major flooding with numerous roads, bridges and home affected. 19 roads were closed, 21 bridges have moderate to severe damage, 144 homes were damaged and over 500 minor structures ( culverts, smaller bridges) affected. No dollar estimate at this time.
The Columbia County Emergency Managers office reported flooding of residences and water over roadways in the town of Dayton the morning of the 14th. Drone footage over Dayton taken on the 14th showed the Touchet river overflowing it's banks into numerous properties adjacent to the river, with flooding also along the Patit Creek that runs through the northern portion of Dayton.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,014
Population (ACS)
$271K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 23, 2020 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 21, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Columbia County, Washington?
26 events are on record between 1966 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $153K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Columbia County?
Hail, with 10 recorded events — 38.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Columbia County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Columbia County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Columbia County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Columbia County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Columbia County as very low risk, placing it in the 9 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Columbia County, Washington severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
Cite this page
“Columbia County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/columbia-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.