Ferry County, Washington severe weather history spans 84 recorded events between 1992 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,939 nationally and #10 in Washington.
84
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$11.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Ferry County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ferry County, Washington severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 48 events logged in that decade alone.
The costliest is flood, with $6.6M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ferry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 33 | 0 | $1.2M | 84 | 1992–2023 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $6.6M | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Hail | 10 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1992–2023 |
| Debris Flow | 9 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 2014–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $3.5M | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1998–2022 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $21K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EF0 | 2008–2008 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Ferry 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-04-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ferry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1992 | Hail | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The USGS River Gage on the Kettle River near Ferry recorded a rise above the Flood Stage of 18.5 feet at 6:00 AM PST on May 5th. The river continued to rise and passed through the Moderate Flood Stage of 19.5 feet at 11:30 AM on May 7th, and through the Major Flood Stage of 20.5 feet at 6:00 PM PST on May 9th. The river crested at a new record flood level of 22.5 feet at 6:15 PM on May 10th. This level broke the previous record level of 21.2 feet set in 1948. The river then receded, passing down through the Major Flood Stage on May 11th, and below the Moderate Flood Stage on May 19th. The river finally receded below the Flood Stage at 1:30 AM PST on May 20th.
Ferry County was affected by numerous road washouts due to areal flooding and debris flows during much of the month of April. Travel was disrupted through out the county with at least 20 roads closed or reduced to one lane due to damage. ||The most notable road closures include Highway 395 near Boyds, which suffered a 100 foot section of the road washed away into a 20 foot deep chasm on April 13th, and Highway 21 where a temporary one lane bridge was constructed to cross a 100 foot total washout of the road 15 miles south of Republic, and the Inchelium Highway near Inchelium where a debris flow cut the road on April 15th. All of these roads are major north-south highways through the county. ||The Sanpoil River flooded during this period causing one house to wash away into the river and threatened another home as the flood undermined the bluff it was located on.
The USGS River Gage near Jack Creek recorded a rapid rise beginning on April 8th with a peak on the 9th near 8.5 feet. A second rise occurred on April 14th. While no official Flood Stage exists for this gage, this period of high flow corresponded with extensive flooding of bottom lands, roads, bridges and parks along the river. One residence on the river bank was undermined and eventually toppled into the river. ||A second river gage at Keller, also with no official Flood Stage was observed to achieve 9.7 feet on April 8th which may have set a record flow for this gage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,387
Population (ACS)
$283K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2024 | Fire | SWAWILLA FIRE | FM |
| Apr 28, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Feb 4, 2021 | Fire | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 13, 2018 | Fire | BOYD'S FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ferry County, Washington?
84 events are on record between 1992 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ferry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 33 recorded events — 39.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ferry 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 Ferry County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ferry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ferry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ferry County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 52 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ferry 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
- Douglas County 50
- Franklin County 45
- Cowlitz County 59
- Garfield County 25
- Columbia County 26
- Grant County 82
Cite this page
“Ferry County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/ferry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.