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District of Columbia, District of Columbia severe weather history spans 595 recorded events between 1975 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #598 nationally and #1 in District of Columbia.
595
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
62
Direct injuries
$48.6M
Property damage
The record
What the District of Columbia, District of Columbia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, District of Columbia, District of Columbia severe weather history averages 11.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 251 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 569 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the District of Columbia, District of Columbia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $31.4M 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 District of Columbia
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 339 | 3 | $31.4M | 78 | 1976–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 118 | 0 | $16.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 71 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Hail | 38 | 0 | $500 | 2.75 | 1975–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Lightning | 8 | 3 | $235K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $202K | F0 | 2001–2021 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 1996–1999 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Excessive Heat | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
District of Columbia, District of Columbia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-09-24 | EF3 | 2 | 55 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-09-24 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-07-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-06 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in District of Columbia
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2022 | Lightning | LINCOLN MEMORIAL | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| May 12, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | District | 1 | 11 | $50K |
| Aug 3, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | SOUTHEAST PORTION | 1 | 2 | $30K |
| Apr 19, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | BROOKLAND | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 1998 | Lightning | NORTHEAST PORTION | 0 | 11 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | BROOKLAND | 0 | 10 | $5K |
| Jul 1, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | US CAPITOL | 0 | 5 | $250K |
| Jun 12, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | SOUTHEAST PORTION | 0 | 4 | $600K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three people were killed and another suffered life-threatening injuries when they were struck by lightning in Lafayette Park across the street from The White House. A couple (76-year-old male, 75-year-old female) and an unrelated (29-year-old male) succumbed to their injuries from the lightning strike the next day.
A strong cold front approaching the mid-Atlantic region including the District of Columbia, produced violent thunderstorm winds and damaging lightning. The north part of the district was hardest hit. One woman was killed and another woman and a man were injured when the car they were in was smashed by a tree uprooted by powerful thunderstorm winds near Piney Branch Park in the north part of the District. Four people were injured on Massachusetts Avenue in the northwest part of the District when a tree was blown over onto their car. Five people were injured in the southeast part of the District when a tree fell on their car near Suitland Parkway. Power was cut to about 12,000 customers due to fallen trees, tree limbs and lightning strikes. (F32V)
A wind gust of 73 knots (84 MPH) was measured by a mesonet at the George Washington University Mount Vernon Campus (1855W). Thousands of trees, branches, wires and poles blew down in Palisades, Wesley Heights, Cathedral Heights, Woodley Park, Observatory Circle, Foxhall Village, Adams Morgan, Cleveland Park, and DuPont Circle, including dozens onto cars, homes and businesses. Several apartment buildings lost their roof, including along Wisconsin Avenue Northwest; other homes particularly in the Wesley Heights neighborhood suffered roof and siding damage from the wind. A large tree blew down onto an SUV on Foxhall Road Northwest, injuring two occupants. The National Zoo was closed for a couple of days due to dozens of trees and large branches that blew down in the park. Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Canal Road Northwest, Arizona Avenue Northwest, Chain Bridge Road Northwest, Lowell Street Northwest, and Loughboro Road Northwest remained closed for several days due to fallen trees, wires, and storm debris.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
681,294
Population (ACS)
$737K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 2026 | Other | SEWER LINE COLLAPSE | EM |
| Jan 11, 2021 | Other | 59TH PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Snowstorm | SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Dec 5, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Walter Reed 202
- Tenleytown 116
- Brookland 105
- Georgetown 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in District of Columbia, District of Columbia?
595 events are on record between 1975 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $48.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in District of Columbia?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 339 recorded events — 57.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed District of Columbia?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover District of Columbia?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include District of Columbia, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is District of Columbia compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates District of Columbia as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the District of Columbia, District of Columbia 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.
Cite this page
“District of Columbia, District of Columbia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/district-of-columbia/district-of-columbia/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.