NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Okanogan, 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 Okanogan, Washington since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Okanogan
The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 30, 1987, came within 16 miles. The most recent tornado was on August 26, 1997. Of the 226 Washington cities on this site, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Okanogan. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 2010, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Okanogan has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 226 Washington cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Okanogan
By decade
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 1987 | F1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1982 | F1 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 1997 | F0 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Okanogan
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Okanogan since 2010. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1 inch (quarter size), fell on September 13, 2022, the most recent report.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Okanogan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Omak Airport, WA, 9 miles north of Okanogan at 1,296 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 58°F; December is the coolest, at 33°F and 23°F. December is the wettest at 2.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 11.6 inches over 35 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. That 11.6 inches is more than at 18 of the 86 Washington stations used on this site (21%). Brewster, 18 miles southwest, has its own station (Chief Joseph Dam, WA): 10.9 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 23 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Feb | 40 | 25 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 53 | 31 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Apr | 63 | 37 | 0.8 | 2 |
| May | 72 | 45 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Jun | 79 | 51 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Jul | 89 | 58 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Aug | 89 | 57 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Sep | 78 | 48 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Oct | 61 | 38 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Nov | 43 | 29 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 33 | 23 | 2.0 | 6 |
| Year | 61 | 39 | 11.6 | 35 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Omak Airport, WA (1,296 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 Okanogan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 16 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Okanogan: 8 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 floods and 2 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $769,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 66 mph, on August 29, 2013.
June 8, 2023: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Okanogan — $375,000 damage.
NWS: “Gust front caused roof to blow off of airplane hangar, destroyed a vintage airplane, took out power, and started a small power line fire. Other reports in the county included a carport roof blown off in Oroville, two foot diameter tree blown down, and downed power lines.”
August 29, 2013: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Okanogan — $240,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous houses across sections of Omak east of Highway 97 between Omak River Road and Vista Vu Drive had shingles torn off the roof and large trees blown down. One house near the intersection of Kruse Street and West Parkway Street had eight panels of cedar fencing blown down.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Okanogan's ZIP code 98840 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $130,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 128 Washington cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 25 have fewer than Okanogan.
Okanogan County, which includes Okanogan, has been named in 42 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 29 fires, 6 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Okanogan County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $50.8 million a year, the 19th highest of 39 Washington counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.9 million (45%), 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 Okanogan
- Omak, WA9 mi
- Brewster, WA18 mi
- Bridgeport, WA24 mi
- Twisp, WA25 mi
- Tonasket, WA27 mi
- Manson, WA39 mi
- Chelan, WA40 mi
- Orondo, WA48 mi
- Entiat, WA53 mi
- Soap Lake, WA65 mi
- East Wenatchee, WA70 mi
- Cashmere, WA71 mi
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