NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chewelah, 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 Chewelah, 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 Chewelah
The highest rating among the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 25, 1983, came within 20 miles. Of the 226 Washington cities on this site, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chewelah. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 1955, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Chewelah has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 226 Washington cities.
Compare Chewelah's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Chewelah
By decade
- 1980s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 1983 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 1980 | F1 | 15 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 Chewelah
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Chewelah since 1955, made on 4 separate days. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on May 20, 2023, the most recent report.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chewelah
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Colville, WA, 23 miles northwest of Chewelah at 1,554 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 23°F. December is the wettest at 2.8 inches of precipitation on average and August and September the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 19.8 inches over 61 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 144 nights a year. Snowfall averages 43.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 19.8 inches is more than at 34 of the 86 Washington stations used on this site (40%). Valley, 9 miles south, has its own station (Deer Park Airport, WA): 22.5 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 23 | 2.2 | 7 | 14.5 |
| Feb | 42 | 24 | 1.5 | 5 | 5.4 |
| Mar | 53 | 30 | 1.9 | 6 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 63 | 35 | 1.5 | 5 | 0.2 |
| May | 72 | 43 | 1.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 49 | 2.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 53 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 51 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 44 | 0.7 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 35 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 44 | 29 | 2.2 | 7 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 34 | 24 | 2.8 | 8 | 15.0 |
| Year | 61 | 36 | 19.8 | 61 | 43.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Colville, WA (1,554 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 Chewelah
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 8 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chewelah: 4 floods, 3 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $40,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 60 mph, on July 26, 2016.
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
Stevens County, which includes Chewelah, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 fires, 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 22, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stevens County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.3 million a year, the 28th highest of 39 Washington counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.6 million (58%), 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.