NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ridgefield, 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 Ridgefield, Washington since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 25
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Ridgefield
The strongest of the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 5, 1972; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 25, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. September and October have had the most tornadoes, 4 each. The most recent tornado was on October 11, 2023. Ridgefield has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 226 Washington cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 4 times since 1976, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Ridgefield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 226 Washington cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ridgefield
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s7
- 2000s6
- 1990s4
- 1980s2
- 1970s2(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 1972 | F3 | 14 mi | 8.7 mi | 6 / 300 |
| Dec 10, 2015 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 2008 | EF1 | 8 mi | 10.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 1991 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1989 | F1 | 6 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 13, 1984 | F1 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1978 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2023 | EF0 | 5 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2021 | EF0 | 5 mi | 3.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2020 | EF0 | 8 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 2019 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 2019 | EF0 | 16 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ridgefield
The Storm Prediction Center has 4 hail reports within 10 miles of Ridgefield since 1976. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 17, 2004. The most recent report is from May 17, 2004.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ridgefield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Scappoose Ind Airport, OR, 8 miles west of Ridgefield at 55 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 54°F; December is the coolest, at 46°F and 34°F. December is the wettest at 7.3 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 96 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 61 nights a year. That 42.4 inches is more than at 55 of the 86 Washington stations used on this site (64%). La Center, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Battle Ground, WA): 52.3 inches a year, 9.9 more than here, and an August average high of 80°F against 82°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Longview, WA, 25 miles northwest, averaged 72°F in August and 42°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 34 | 6.5 | 13 | 43 |
| Feb | 51 | 34 | 4.6 | 11 | 42 |
| Mar | 56 | 37 | 4.5 | 12 | 45 |
| Apr | 61 | 40 | 3.1 | 9 | 50 |
| May | 68 | 46 | 2.5 | 7 | 56 |
| Jun | 73 | 51 | 1.4 | 5 | 62 |
| Jul | 81 | 55 | 0.5 | 1 | 70 |
| Aug | 82 | 54 | 0.5 | 2 | 72 |
| Sep | 76 | 50 | 1.6 | 4 | 68 |
| Oct | 64 | 43 | 3.6 | 8 | 62 |
| Nov | 53 | 37 | 6.3 | 12 | 52 |
| Dec | 46 | 34 | 7.3 | 14 | 46 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 42.4 | 96 | 55 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Scappoose Ind Airport, OR (55 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Longview, WA, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Ridgefield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 19 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ridgefield: 9 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 floods and 4 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 93 mph, on June 6, 2026.
December 7, 2015: heavy rain event 9 miles from the centre of Ridgefield — $1.8 million 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
Clark County, which includes Ridgefield, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clark County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $157.5 million a year, the 7th highest of 39 Washington counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $68.3 million (43%), 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 Ridgefield
- La Center, WA7 mi
- Warren, OR8 mi
- Saint Helens, OR9 mi
- Battle Ground, WA9 mi
- Woodland, WA9 mi
- Scappoose, OR11 mi
- Vancouver, WA11 mi
- Brush Prairie, WA11 mi
- Yacolt, WA15 mi
- Amboy, WA16 mi
- Kalama, WA16 mi
- North Plains, OR18 mi
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