Walla Walla County, Washington severe weather history spans 90 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,918 nationally and #7 in Washington.
90
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$11.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Walla Walla County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Walla Walla County, Washington severe weather history averages 1.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 32 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 76 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $8.9M 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 Walla Walla County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 38 | 0 | $1.3M | 78 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $5K | 1.75 | 1958–2019 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $8.9M | 0 | 2011–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2005 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $28K | F2 | 1958–1987 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2005–2012 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $26K | 0 | 2001–2003 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $93K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2003 |
Decade by decade
Walla Walla County, Washington severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-08-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 45.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Crossed in |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms training from south southwest to north northeast over the narrow path produced an estimated 1 to 2 inches of rainfall and caused flash flooding and mud slides. A parked pickup truck was completely submerged. Over a dozen county roads were damaged.
Minor flooding was reported on Titus Creek, stemming from log jam on Mill Creek that pushed more water into Titus Creek. As a result of high water on Titus Creek, a tractor was flooded. The Touchet River, 1.5 to 3 miles east of Waitsburg, changed course and began channeling water against a resident's property. The resulting erosion caused two outbuilding to topple into the water.
Substantial rains over the previous day, coupled with an early morning thunderstorm that dumped over one-half inch of rain in 45 minutes, lead to widespread agricultural runoff that washed mud over several local roads. Rushing waters stripped several layers of gravel from Miller Road, located just west of Waitsburg. Several local gravel roads needed to be completely regraded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
62,161
Population (ACS)
$409K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jul 21, 2015 | Fire | BLUE CREEK FIRE | FM |
| 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 Walla Walla County, Washington?
90 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Walla Walla County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 38 recorded events — 42.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Walla Walla County?
4 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 Walla Walla County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Walla Walla County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Walla Walla County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Walla Walla County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 60 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Walla Walla 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
- Wahkiakum County 47
- Whatcom County 20
- Thurston County 28
- Whitman County 124
- Stevens County 117
- Yakima County 117
Cite this page
“Walla Walla County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/walla-walla-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.