NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chelan, WA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Chelan, Washington since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 2 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 2
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Chelan
The strongest of the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on May 30, 1987; its path came within 23 miles. The most recent tornado was on July 4, 1992. Of the 226 Washington cities on this site, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chelan. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 11 times since 1956, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Chelan has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 226 Washington cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Chelan
By decade
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 1987 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1992 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 2 of 2, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chelan
The Storm Prediction Center has 11 hail reports within 10 miles of Chelan since 1956, made on 5 separate days. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on July 7, 1975. The most recent report is from May 29, 2015. June has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chelan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chelan, WA, 5 miles southeast of Chelan at 1,194 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 22°F. December is the wettest at 1.8 inches of precipitation on average and August and September the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 11.9 inches over 37 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 11.9 inches is more than at 20 of the 86 Washington stations used on this site (23%). Orondo, 9 miles south, has its own station (Waterville, WA): 11.6 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 22 | 1.5 | 5 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 42 | 24 | 1.2 | 4 | 2.0 |
| Mar | 52 | 30 | 1.1 | 4 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| May | 72 | 46 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 53 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 59 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 58 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 49 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 46 | 30 | 1.5 | 4 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 35 | 23 | 1.8 | 7 | 8.7 |
| Year | 61 | 39 | 11.9 | 37 | 20.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chelan, WA (1,194 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Chelan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 11 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chelan: 4 flash floods, 3 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $134,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 26, 1997.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Chelan County, which includes Chelan, has been named in 53 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 34 fires, 7 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chelan County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $88.5 million a year, the 12th highest of 39 Washington counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $41.3 million (47%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Chelan
- Manson, WA3 mi
- Orondo, WA9 mi
- Entiat, WA14 mi
- Bridgeport, WA21 mi
- Brewster, WA22 mi
- Cashmere, WA31 mi
- East Wenatchee, WA32 mi
- Twisp, WA33 mi
- Peshastin, WA33 mi
- Wenatchee, WA33 mi
- Okanogan, WA40 mi
- Soap Lake, WA44 mi
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