NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Nine Mile Falls, 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 Nine Mile Falls, Washington since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 15
- 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 Nine Mile Falls
The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 6, 2009, came within 23 miles. Of the 15, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on April 18, 2024. Nine Mile Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 226 Washington cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 1997, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Nine Mile Falls has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 226 Washington cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Nine Mile Falls
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s3
- 1980s3
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2009 | EF1 | 23 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1997 | F1 | 5 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1984 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 17, 1983 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1981 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1970 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 2024 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF0 | 16 mi | 2.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2016 | EF0 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 2016 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2004 | F0 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Nine Mile Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Nine Mile Falls since 1997, made on 3 separate days. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 31, 1997. The most recent report is from August 24, 2022.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Nine Mile Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Spokane WFO, WA, 8 miles south of Nine Mile Falls at 2,392 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 52°F; December is the coolest, at 32°F and 22°F. December is the wettest at 2.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 17.3 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 157 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 17.3 inches is more than at 27 of the 86 Washington stations used on this site (31%). Colbert, 11 miles east, has its own station (Deer Park Airport, WA): 22.5 inches a year, 5.2 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 23 | 2.0 | 7 | 13.0 |
| Feb | 39 | 24 | 1.4 | 5 | 6.8 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 1.8 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 57 | 34 | 1.5 | 4 | 1.3 |
| May | 66 | 41 | 1.6 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 72 | 47 | 1.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 52 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 51 | 0.4 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 43 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 57 | 34 | 1.5 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 41 | 27 | 2.2 | 7 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 32 | 22 | 2.4 | 8 | 15.5 |
| Year | 57 | 36 | 17.3 | 56 | 48.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Spokane WFO, WA (2,392 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 Nine Mile Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 42 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Nine Mile Falls: 28 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 6 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $9.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 31, 1997. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 66 Washington cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 58 have had fewer than Nine Mile Falls.
March 9, 2017: flood 9 miles from the centre of Nine Mile Falls — $8.0 million damage.
NWS: “A series of rain storms and low elevation snow melt caused saturated soil conditions through out Spokane County through the second half of March. These conditions lead to numerous small stream and field flooding issues through out the county.”
February 12, 2014: flood 9 miles from the centre of Nine Mile Falls — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous areas across Lincoln County dealt with flooding between the 12th and 14th.”
June 1, 2011: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Nine Mile Falls — $200,000 damage.
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 Nine Mile Falls, 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.
Cities near Nine Mile Falls
- Colbert, WA11 mi
- Airway Heights, WA11 mi
- Spokane, WA12 mi
- Deer Park, WA13 mi
- Fairchild Afb, WA15 mi
- Medical Lake, WA16 mi
- Chattaroy, WA16 mi
- Mead, WA17 mi
- Spokane Valley, WA20 mi
- Loon Lake, WA21 mi
- Otis Orchards, WA23 mi
- Elk, WA23 mi
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