Cowlitz County, Washington severe weather history spans 59 recorded events between 1965 and 2024. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 45.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,019 nationally and #15 in Washington.
59
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$256.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Cowlitz County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cowlitz County, Washington severe weather history averages 1.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 31 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 56 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $253.9M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cowlitz County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $253.9M | 0 | 2005–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 2001–2017 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $232K | F1 | 1965–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 4 | 0 | $0 | 69 | 1984–2021 |
| Hail | 3 | 0 | $5K | 0.5 | 2003–2022 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2019–2023 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Cowlitz County, Washington severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-10-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-06-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cowlitz County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2004 | Heavy Rain | WOODLAND | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Sep 6, 2019 | Lightning | LONGVIEW | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2003 | Hail | KALAMA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread street flooding in Longview resulting in several businesses in the downtown area experiencing flooding. The first floor of the local Hospital also flooded due to heavy rain. Several videos received from the emergency manager and also noted from broadcast media reports.
Heavy rain resulted in multiple land slides between Longview and Kalama. Highway 30 and Kalama River Road were closed due to multiple slides and stranded some residents. A land slide hit a residence and trapped the owner with no injuries.
The Cowlitz River at Kelso exceeded flood stage. Rises of the Kalama River resulted in flood damage of many businesses in Kalama including Motel 6, Remax, and the Burger Bar. Camp Kalama was closed due to flooding of the Kalama River. The I-5 offramp in Longview was closed due to high water.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
112,360
Population (ACS)
$398K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 28, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 29, 2022 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, SNOWSTORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 8, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cowlitz County, Washington?
59 events are on record between 1965 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $256.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cowlitz County?
Flood, with 27 recorded events — 45.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cowlitz County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cowlitz County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cowlitz County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cowlitz County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cowlitz County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cowlitz 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
- Columbia County 26
- Douglas County 50
- Clark County 71
- Ferry County 84
- Clallam County 22
- Franklin County 45
Cite this page
“Cowlitz County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/cowlitz-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.