Yakima County, Washington severe weather history spans 117 recorded events between 1957 and 2020. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 28.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,824 nationally and #5 in Washington.
117
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$3.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Yakima County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Yakima County, Washington severe weather history averages 1.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 50 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 109 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $1.9M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Yakima County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 33 | 0 | $1.9M | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Hail | 22 | 0 | $200K | 1.75 | 1993–2015 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 22 | 0 | $52K | 70 | 1961–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2004–2015 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $3K | F2 | 1957–2008 |
| Wildfire | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2003 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $935K | 0 | 1999–2006 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2010 |
| Dust Devil | 2 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2003–2019 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Yakima County, Washington severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-04-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-04-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-04-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-08-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Yakima County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2019 | Dust Devil | ZILLAH | 0 | 5 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Substantial snow pack was remained in the foothills and lower elevations of the Washington Cascades at the beginning of March. Temperatures started to moderate during the first week of the month with several nights of temperatures above freezing occurring on the 8th and 9th. Flooding was reported along Wide Hollow and Cottonwood creeks from about 9 miles west of Yakima through the city of Yakima as rapid snow melt was occurring in the foothills west of Yakima. Water flowed through the Meadowbrook Mobile Home Park, and there were numerous reports of damaged driveways as culverts were overwhelmed with mud and other debris. Along Ahtanum Creek, there was standing water in fields, with water from roadside ditches spilling over the road in places.
Strong winds from thunderstorms blew down around 100 trees along Highway 410 one mile west of the junction with Highway 12. Power lines were also downed. At the same time high winds peeled back a metal roof 9 miles west of the Highway 12 intersection.
Strong winds associated with a thunderstorm knocked down several trees, and knocked out power to about 750 customers. A weather spotter five miles east of Yakima reported a wind gust to 55 MPH at 4:59 PM PST. The Yakima ASOS at the Yakima airport reported a peak wind gust to 53 MPH at 4:54 PM PST. The property damage from this event is estimated at $2,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
257,152
Population (ACS)
$310K
Median home value
36
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Dec 12, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Fire | RETREAT FIRE | FM |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Fire | WEST WHITE SWAN FIRE | FM |
| Jun 23, 2024 | Fire | SLIDE RANCH FIRE | FM |
| Aug 19, 2021 | Fire | SCHNEIDER SPRINGS FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Yakima County, Washington?
117 events are on record between 1957 and 2020, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Yakima County?
Flood, with 33 recorded events — 28.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Yakima County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Yakima County?
36 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Yakima County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Yakima County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Yakima County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Yakima 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
- Whitman County 124
- Whatcom County 20
- Walla Walla County 90
- Wahkiakum County 47
- Thurston County 28
- Stevens County 117
Cite this page
“Yakima County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/yakima-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.