NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Moses Lake, 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 Moses Lake, Washington since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 6
- 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 Moses Lake
The strongest of the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on August 10, 1985; its path came within 16 miles. Of the 6, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2023. Of the 226 Washington cities on this site, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Moses Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 4 times since 2012, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Moses Lake has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 226 Washington cities.
Compare Moses Lake's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Moses Lake
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 1985 | F1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2023 | EF0 | 7 mi | 0.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2010 | EF0 | 7 mi | 0.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2003 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1983 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1979 | F0 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Moses Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 4 hail reports within 10 miles of Moses Lake, all from July 20, 2012. All were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest was 1.75 inches (golf ball size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Moses Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Moses Lake Grant Co Airport, WA, 5 miles north of Moses Lake at 1,196 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 57°F; December is the coolest, at 36°F and 24°F. December is the wettest at 1.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 8.0 inches over 26 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. That 8.0 inches is more than at 8 of the 86 Washington stations used on this site (9%). Ephrata, 18 miles northwest, has its own station (Ephrata Municipal Airport, WA): 7.7 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 24 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Feb | 44 | 27 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 55 | 32 | 0.7 | 3 |
| Apr | 64 | 37 | 0.7 | 2 |
| May | 74 | 45 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Jun | 80 | 52 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Jul | 90 | 57 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Aug | 88 | 56 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Sep | 79 | 47 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Oct | 63 | 37 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Nov | 46 | 29 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Year | 63 | 39 | 8.0 | 26 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Moses Lake Grant Co Airport, WA (1,196 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.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Grant County, which includes Moses Lake, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 22, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grant County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.0 million a year, the 23rd highest of 39 Washington counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.8 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 Moses Lake
- Warden, WA15 mi
- Ephrata, WA18 mi
- Soap Lake, WA20 mi
- Othello, WA21 mi
- Royal City, WA23 mi
- Quincy, WA27 mi
- Connell, WA37 mi
- Mesa, WA39 mi
- Mattawa, WA40 mi
- Ritzville, WA40 mi
- East Wenatchee, WA50 mi
- Wenatchee, WA53 mi
All Washington cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Moses Lake with another place →