Douglas County, Washington severe weather history spans 50 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 32.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,053 nationally and #17 in Washington.
50
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$1.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Douglas County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Douglas County, Washington severe weather history averages 0.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 24 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 49 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $1.1M 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 Douglas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 16 | 0 | $10K | 1.5 | 1956–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 11 | 0 | $91K | 72 | 1994–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Debris Flow | 5 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 2013–2021 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $0 | F0 | 1992–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2025 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2015–2016 |
Decade by decade
Douglas County, Washington severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-07-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Douglas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | ORONDO | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees and power lines were downed from thunderstorm winds across southern Douglas County. Two large trees, estimated to be two feet in diameter, were downed at Desert Canyons Lodge. In Orondo, three large trees, estimated to be two feet in diameter and 120 feet tall, were knocked into high voltage power lines starting a small fire. At least 50 apple trees across multiple orchards were also damaged from the high winds. In Waterville, two downed trees landed on houses along Poplar Street and numerous large limbs were on the ground throughout town.
A Newspaper reported multiple slides on McNeil Canyon Road with one shoulder washed out. In addition two cars and a boat slid several feet due to water flood waters coming down a driveway. This all occurred generally 6 miles east of Chelan, WA.
A member of the public reported one inch of rain that fell quickly from a thunderstorm and caused some flooding of Bridgeport Middle School in Bridgeport, WA. Damage and debris left on roads in the vicinity of the school are what caused most of the damage costs.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
44,366
Population (ACS)
$433K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 4, 2021 | Fire | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Sep 7, 2020 | Fire | COLD SPRINGS/PEARL HILL FIRE | FM |
| Jul 12, 2020 | Fire | ROAD 11 FIRE | FM |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 12, 2018 | Fire | GRASS VALLEY FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Douglas County, Washington?
50 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Douglas County?
Hail, with 16 recorded events — 32.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Douglas County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Douglas County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Douglas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Douglas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Douglas County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Douglas 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
- Cowlitz County 59
- Ferry County 84
- Columbia County 26
- Franklin County 45
- Clark County 71
- Garfield County 25
Cite this page
“Douglas County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/douglas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.