Kitsap County, Washington severe weather history spans 17 recorded events between 1991 and 2018. The dominant hazard is heavy rain, accounting for 47.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,164 nationally and #33 in Washington.
17
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$34.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Kitsap County, Washington severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kitsap County, Washington severe weather history averages 0.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 8 events logged in that decade alone.
The deadliest hazard in the Kitsap County, Washington record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is heavy rain, with $31.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Kitsap County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $31.7M | 0 | 1997–2007 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $1.2M | F0 | 1991–2018 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 1 | $55K | 52 | 2010–2013 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Kitsap 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: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-12-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-06-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kitsap County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARPER | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| Mar 15, 1997 | Heavy Rain | BREMERTON | 0 | 3 | $750K |
| May 13, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | SILVERDALE | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| Jul 18, 1999 | Lightning | BREMERTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains caused officials to close or restrict nearly 200 roads, including major commuter paths such as Highway 3. A large sinkhole developed near the High Point Shopping Center in Port Orchard. About 300 structures throughout the county were damaged. Several stores in Silverdale suffered water damage.
At 1350PST, a tornado touched down near Port Orchard, WA. This tornado continued on the ground in a northeast direction for approximately 5 minutes. Significant structure damage was evident in the damage path, including one home where the roof was completely removed. Ultimately, 300 homes and businesses were impacted by the tornado. It resulted in 25 red-tagged (uninhabitable), and 20 yellow-tagged (habitable at own risk) homes.
About 200 people were trapped near Port Orchard when Hunter road was washed out by a raging creek – it is the only road in and out of a neighborhood. Lake Flora Rd was also closed near highway 3 where it was washed out.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
277,881
Population (ACS)
$555K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Dec 8, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 17, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TIDAL SURGE, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Nov 7, 2003 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kitsap County, Washington?
17 events are on record between 1991 and 2018, causing 1 direct deaths and $34.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kitsap County?
Heavy Rain, with 8 recorded events — 47.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kitsap County?
3 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 Kitsap County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kitsap County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kitsap County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kitsap County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kitsap 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
- King County 82
- Kittitas County 41
- Jefferson County 16
- Klickitat County 28
- Island County 6
- Lewis County 19
Cite this page
“Kitsap County, Washington.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/washington/kitsap-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.