NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Othello, 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 Othello, 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 Othello
The highest rating among the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 3 times; the most recent, on August 10, 1985, came within 12 miles. Of the 6, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2010. Of the 226 Washington cities on this site, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Othello. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 1982, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Othello has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 226 Washington cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Othello
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1980s3
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 1985 | F1 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1983 | F1 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1978 | F1 | 17 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2010 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2003 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1983 | F0 | 6 mi | 0.5 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 Othello
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Othello since 1982. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1 inch (quarter size), fell on April 23, 1998, the most recent report.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Othello
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Connell 1 W, WA, 19 miles southeast of Othello at 1,020 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 55°F; December is the coolest, at 39°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 1.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 8.8 inches over 32 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 35 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. That 8.8 inches is more than at 12 of the 86 Washington stations used on this site (14%). Warden, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Moses Lake Grant Co Airport, WA): 8.0 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 27 | 1.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 46 | 29 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Mar | 56 | 32 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Apr | 65 | 37 | 0.7 | 3 |
| May | 74 | 44 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Jun | 80 | 50 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Jul | 90 | 55 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Aug | 88 | 55 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 79 | 47 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Oct | 64 | 38 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 1.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 39 | 27 | 1.3 | 5 |
| Year | 64 | 39 | 8.8 | 32 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Connell 1 W, WA (1,020 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 Othello
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 5 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Othello: 4 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $130,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 60 mph, on August 25, 2013.
July 10, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Othello — $110,000 damage.
NWS: “trees down and power lines down along with widespread damage to nearby wheat fields.”
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
Adams County, which includes Othello, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 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 Adams County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.4 million a year, the 35th highest of 39 Washington counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 million (50%), 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 Othello
- Warden, WA10 mi
- Connell, WA18 mi
- Mesa, WA18 mi
- Moses Lake, WA21 mi
- Royal City, WA24 mi
- Mattawa, WA35 mi
- Ephrata, WA37 mi
- Richland, WA37 mi
- West Richland, WA39 mi
- Ritzville, WA39 mi
- Pasco, WA40 mi
- Quincy, WA40 mi
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