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Tornadoes in Washington

Washington has recorded 134 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, about 2.7 per year over the last 30 years. May is the most active month.

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Map data: NWS, OpenFreeMap, OpenStreetMap

Tornadoes per year

96: 196197: 14971499: 299200: 300301: 201203: 203204: 904905: 405406: 206208: 308309: 609610: 210211: 211213: 213214: 314315: 215216: 416417: 217218: 118119: 219220: 220221: 221222: 222223: 323324: 4244
Washington tornadoes per year, 1996–2025
50s: 750s760s: 760s770s: 1470s1480s: 1980s1990s: 2390s2300s: 3100s3110s: 2010s2020s: 1320s13
Tornadoes per decade (the 2020s are partial)

When tornadoes happen in Washington

Jan: 4Jan4Feb: 0FebMar: 7Mar7Apr: 19Apr19May: 32May32Jun: 18Jun18Jul: 12Jul12Aug: 13Aug13Sep: 8Sep8Oct: 13Oct13Nov: 2Nov2Dec: 6Dec6
Tornadoes by month, 1950–2025
EF0: 79EF079EF1: 39EF139EF2: 13EF213EF3: 2EF32EF4: 0EF4EF5: 0EF5
Tornadoes by (E)F rating

Ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale; later tornadoes use the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. How the EF scale works.

Strongest tornadoes in Washington

DateRatingCountyPath lengthWidthDeathsInjuries
December 12, 1969F3King County3.8 mi100 yd01
April 5, 1972F3Lincoln County0.1 mi83 yd01
May 6, 1957F2Spokane County1.5 mi23 yd00
November 10, 1965F2Lewis County1.5 mi23 yd00
December 18, 2018EF2Kitsap County1.4 mi285 yd00
April 30, 1957F2Yakima County1 mi23 yd00
March 14, 1966F2Columbia County1 mi13 yd00
April 5, 1972F2Stevens County1 mi100 yd00
June 15, 1954F2Spokane County0.5 mi100 yd00
August 30, 1971F2Whitman County0.5 mi17 yd00

Most recent tornadoes

DateRatingCountyPath lengthWidthDeathsInjuries
October 28, 2024EF0Cowlitz County0.2 mi20 yd00
May 1, 2024EF0Kittitas County0.4 mi1 yd00
April 18, 2024EF0Spokane County0 mi5 yd00
March 26, 2024EF0Lincoln County0 mi25 yd00
October 11, 2023EF0Clark County0.5 mi100 yd00
July 10, 2023EF0Lincoln County0.9 mi40 yd00
May 26, 2023EF0Grant County0.4 mi25 yd00
May 6, 2022EF0Spokane County2.1 mi250 yd00
May 6, 2022EF0Spokane County0.6 mi50 yd00
September 27, 2021EF0Clark County3.9 mi240 yd00

Counties with the most tornadoes

CountyTornadoes since 1950Per 1,000 sq mi
Spokane County1623492063.5
Clark County1457647058.8
Lincoln County1213448723.5
Pierce County913974820.1
Yakima County84824214.2
Snohomish County78687110.7
Grant County65798507.5
King County56120037.8
Okanogan County52459172
Walla Walla County510196850.4
Stevens County55228098.5
Thurston County517911479.9
Benton County57617647.1
Adams County34036363.6
Pacific County38327974.3
Cowlitz County36809816
Lewis County33233458.2
Grays Harbor County34087322.5
Douglas County34271577.8
Whitman County33598888.4

About this data

Tornado records come from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database of confirmed tornadoes, 1950–2025. Tornadoes that crossed state lines are counted in the state where they began. Counts in the early decades are lower partly because many weak tornadoes went unreported before Doppler radar and storm spotter networks.