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San Juan County; Lowlands of Western Whatcom County; Port Townsend Area; Island County
Island County, Washington severe weather history spans 6 recorded events between 1986 and 2014. The dominant hazard is debris flow, accounting for 33.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,189 nationally and #38 in Washington.
6
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$530K
Property damage
The record
What the Island County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Island County, Washington severe weather history averages 0.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 3 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 5 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is debris flow, with $500K in reported property damage. In total, 4 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Island County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 2013–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2001–2007 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 53 | 1986–1986 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Island County, Washington severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Neighbors are cleaning up after a Wednesday afternoon landslide destroyed a home and damaged others on Whidbey Island. The house that took the brunt of the force was turned almost sideways and is now just inches away from falling into Puget Sound. Nobody was hurt in the 100-yard slide, but a lot of damage was done to several summer homes.
Heavy rain over Whidbey Island, from a stationary Puget Sound convergence zone, caused enough flow on Glendale Creek to burst a beaver dam. Subsequent rain and plugging of a culvert on Glendale Road led to part of the road being washed away. The flood stream eventually damaged about 8 homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
86,836
Population (ACS)
$593K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 28, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 12, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 5, 2022 | 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 |
| Apr 23, 2020 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Island County, Washington?
6 events are on record between 1986 and 2014, causing 0 direct deaths and $530K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Island County?
Debris Flow, with 2 recorded events — 33.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Island County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Island County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Island County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Island County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Island 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
- Grays Harbor County 31
- Jefferson County 16
- Grant County 82
- King County 82
- Garfield County 25
- Kitsap County 17
Cite this page
“Island County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/island-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.