Pend Oreille County, Washington severe weather history spans 87 recorded events between 1978 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 33.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,928 nationally and #9 in Washington.
87
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$10.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Pend Oreille County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pend Oreille County, Washington severe weather history averages 1.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 42 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 86 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pend Oreille County, Washington record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $8.7M 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 Pend Oreille County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 29 | 2 | $1.2M | 67 | 1997–2025 |
| Hail | 25 | 0 | $3K | 3 | 1997–2023 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $8.7M | 0 | 2011–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $256K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Debris Flow | 5 | 0 | $203K | 0 | 2014–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | F2 | 1978–1978 |
Decade by decade
Pend Oreille 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-07-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pend Oreille County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | CAMDEN | 1 | 1 | $50K |
| Aug 19, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | DIAMOND LAKE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | CAMDEN | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
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 throughout the county resulting in power outages and some damage to structures. Power outages were reported in Diamond Lake and Tiger but it was assumed many more power outages occurred in other communities. There was one fatality and one injury when a 200 foot tall tree uprooted and fell on a tent at the Stagger Inn Campground in the Kaniksu National Forest.
The USGS River Flow Gage at Abeni Falls Dam which controls the flow of the Pend Oreille River surpassed the Flood Flow of 95,000 Cubic Feet per Second (CFS) at 2:30 PM PST on May 11th. The flow increased and passed through the Moderate Flood Flow of 115,000 CFS at 12:15 PM on May 18th. The flow continued to increase and peaked at the Moderate Flood reading of 121,000 CFS at at 5:00 AM on May 27th. The flow continued to fluctuate between 118,000 CFS and 121,000 CFS through the end of May. The flow receded to below the Flood Flow on June 6th.
A severe thunderstorm producing winds of 55 to 70 mph knocked down numerous trees across Pend Oreille County. The storms also brought periods of very heavy rainfall and small hail. The widespread tree damage led to power outages, blocked roads, and three injuries. The worst of the damage occurred in southern areas of the county near Diamond and Sacheen Lakes. There were two critical injuries at Diamond Lake. A tree fell on a boat as a family was attempting to dock the boat. The parents were critically injured but the two kids escaped without injury.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,050
Population (ACS)
$368K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 8, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, 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 |
| Apr 21, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pend Oreille County, Washington?
87 events are on record between 1978 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $10.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pend Oreille County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 29 recorded events — 33.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pend Oreille 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 Pend Oreille County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pend Oreille County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pend Oreille County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pend Oreille County as very low risk, placing it in the 28 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pend Oreille 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
- Pacific County 27
- Pierce County 34
- Okanogan County 231
- San Juan County 4
- Mason County 17
- Skagit County 16
Cite this page
“Pend Oreille County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/pend-oreille-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.