Adams County, Washington severe weather history spans 38 recorded events between 1975 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,090 nationally and #22 in Washington.
38
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$357K
Property damage
The record
What the Adams County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adams County, Washington severe weather history averages 0.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 10 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 33 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Adams County, Washington record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $210K 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 Adams County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 16 | 1 | $86K | 63 | 1975–2024 |
| Hail | 10 | 0 | $1K | 1.75 | 1982–2022 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $210K | 0 | 2001–2017 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $30 | F1 | 1978–1983 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Adams County, Washington severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-04-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adams County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | WASHTUCNA | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Aug 6, 1998 | Wildfire | RITZVILLE | 0 | 1 | $60K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A section of the Lind-Warden Road was washed out producing a gaping 30 foot wide and 15 foot deep canyon across the road. A motorist drove into the gap and dropped 15 feet. The car was destroyed but the driver was unharmed.
Several trees and power lines were knocked down from strong thunderstorm winds across east and southeastern sections of Othello. Reports from the utility company included: power lines down from a fallen tree two miles southeast of Othello, a downed power pole six miles southeast of Othello, and another power pole downed six miles southeast of Warden. A newspaper also reported at least eight large trees blown down in the town of Lind. The downed trees resulted in damage to fences and power lines.
Numerous trees and power lines downed in Othello. Trees toppled onto homes and fences. An estimate of forty power poles snapped off. Schools across the Othello area were closed the following day due to impacts from the storm.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,800
Population (ACS)
$273K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2022 | Fire | LIND FIRE | FM |
| 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 |
| Mar 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adams County, Washington?
38 events are on record between 1975 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths and $357K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adams County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 16 recorded events — 42.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adams County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Adams County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adams County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adams County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adams County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adams 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
Cite this page
“Adams County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/adams-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.