States › Washington › Okanogan County

Okanogan County, Washington

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 53047 · 42,634 residents (2021) · 5,266 sq mi · dominant hazard Flood

Hail · 36Tornado · 5Flood · 79Wind · 54Winter · 0

Okanogan County within Washington. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 231 events for Okanogan County, Washington, between 1950 and 2026; floods and flash floods account for the largest share.

That is 4.4 events per 100 square miles, below the Washington figure of 15.1, and 54.2 per 10,000 residents against 12.9 statewide.

0 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 5 deaths and 6 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $40M and crop damage at $31M.

FEMA has designated the county in 42 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Wildfires (emergency, 3 Aug 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 89 claims since 1978, of which 55 were paid, totalling $479K (about $9K per paid claim). FEMA counts 183 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($51M a year across 18 hazards).

0events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

231events since 19505 deaths, 6 injuries recorded

42disaster declarationslast 3 Aug 2026

89NFIP flood claims$479K paid

Compared with Washington and the United States

Measure	Okanogan County	Washington	US
Recorded events since 1950	231	10,014	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	4.4	15.1	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	54.2	12.9	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	0	130	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	5	321	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$40M	$4.6B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	2.1	2.1	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$9K	$29K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	12.6	10.7	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 2

Hail: 3Tornado: 3Flood: 8Wind: 7Wildfire: 3Other: 3

Hail: 18Flood: 14Wind: 12Wildfire: 5Lightning: 2

Hail: 10Flood: 44Wind: 28Other: 32

Hail: 3Flood: 13Wind: 7Other: 12

01950s01960s11970s31980s271990s512000s1142010s352020s

Recorded events in Okanogan County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWildfireLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 185 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 43 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Flood79

Wind54

Other47

Hail36

Wildfire8

Tornado5

Lightning2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Flood	79	1	9.5%	detail
■ Wind	54	—	2.0%	detail
■ Other	47	—	6.5%
■ Hail	36	—	9.1%	detail
■ Wildfire	8	4	1.5%
■ Tornado	5	—	3.6%
■ Lightning	2	—	1.9%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
9 Jul 2001	Wildfire	Wildfire	—	—	—	4	4	County
12 Jul 2001	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.5M	—	1	—	County
9 Jul 1995	Hail	Hail	1.50 in	$10M	$15M	—	—	County
12 Aug 2001	Wildfire	Wildfire	—	$900K	—	—	2	County
5 May 2018	Flood	Flood	—	$12M	—	—	—	County
4 Apr 2017	Flood	Flood	—	$4.0M	—	—	—	County
22 Jul 2000	Wildfire	Wildfire	—	$3.3M	—	—	—	County
5 Jul 2006	Hail	Hail	0.75 in	—	$2.5M	—	—	County
5 Jul 2006	Hail	Hail	0.75 in	—	$2.5M	—	—	County
5 Jul 2006	Hail	Hail	0.75 in	—	$2.5M	—	—	County
6 Jul 2006	Hail	Hail	0.75 in	—	$2.5M	—	—	County
5 Jul 2006	Hail	Hail	0.75 in	—	$2.5M	—	—	County
6 Jul 2006	Hail	Hail	0.75 in	—	$2.5M	—	—	County
9 May 2018	Flood	Flood	—	$2.0M	—	—	—	County
24 May 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	77 mph	$125K	$1.0M	—	—	County
16 Jul 2003	Wildfire	Wildfire	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
4 Jul 2022	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
16 Nov 2021	Flood	Flood	—	$500K	$20K	—	—	County
19 Sep 2010	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$423K	—	—	—	County
3 Jun 2022	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$400K	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
3 Aug 2026	EM-3650	Emergency	Fire	Wildfires	Public assistance
1 Aug 2026	FM-5657	Fire management assistance	Fire	Sinlahekin Fire	Public assistance
17 Jul 2026	FM-5646	Fire management assistance	Fire	Kaiser Canyon Fire	Public assistance
24 Jul 2024	FM-5518	Fire management assistance	Fire	Swawilla Fire	Public assistance
28 Apr 2024	DR-4775	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
30 Jul 2023	FM-5472	Fire management assistance	Fire	Eagle Bluff Fire	Public assistance
12 Jan 2023	DR-4682	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
29 Mar 2022	DR-4650	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding	Public assistance
16 Aug 2021	FM-5410	Fire management assistance	Fire	Muckamuck Fire	Public assistance
20 Jul 2021	FM-5401	Fire management assistance	Fire	Cedar Creek Fire	Public assistance
8 Apr 2021	DR-4593	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
4 Feb 2021	DR-4584	Major disaster	Fire	Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds	Public assistance
7 Sep 2020	FM-5351	Fire management assistance	Fire	Cold Springs/Pearl Hill Fire	Public assistance
20 Aug 2020	FM-5337	Fire management assistance	Fire	Palmer Fire	Public assistance
28 Jul 2020	FM-5323	Fire management assistance	Fire	Anglin Fire	Public assistance
22 Mar 2020	DR-4481	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3427	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
20 Oct 2015	DR-4243	Major disaster	Fire	Wildfires And Mudslides	Public assistance
21 Aug 2015	EM-3372	Emergency	Fire	Wildfires	Public assistance
19 Aug 2015	FM-5106	Fire management assistance	Fire	Twisp River Fire	Public assistance
15 Aug 2015	FM-5104	Fire management assistance	Fire	Okanagan County Fire Complex	Public assistance
14 Aug 2015	FM-5100	Fire management assistance	Fire	Chelan Fire Complex	Public assistance
14 Aug 2015	FM-5098	Fire management assistance	Fire	Nine Mile Fire	Public assistance
11 Aug 2014	DR-4188	Major disaster	Fire	Wildfires	Public assistance
23 Jul 2014	EM-3371	Emergency	Fire	Wildfires	Public assistance
17 Jul 2014	FM-5062	Fire management assistance	Fire	Carlton Complex Fire	Public assistance
25 Sep 2012	DR-4083	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Public assistance
22 Aug 2009	FM-2826	Fire management assistance	Fire	Oden Road Fire	Public assistance
16 Jul 2007	FM-2714	Fire management assistance	Fire	Tunk Grade Fire	Public assistance
7 Sep 2005	EM-3227	Emergency	Coastal Storm	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
7 Nov 2003	DR-1499	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance
6 Sep 2003	FM-2498	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wa-Needle Fire-09-06-2003	Public assistance
16 Jul 2003	FM-2481	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wa-Okanogan City Fire-07-16-2003	Public assistance
25 Jul 2002	FM-2451	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wa - Pickens Fire - 07/24/02	Public assistance
16 Aug 2001	FM-2376	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wa Tonasket Fire Complex 2376	Public assistance
14 Aug 2001	FM-2373	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wa Brewster Fire Complex 2373	Public assistance
14 Aug 2001	FM-2372	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wa - Virginia Lakes Complex - 2372	Public assistance
22 Jul 2000	FM-2313	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wa-Wildfire-07-24-2000	Public assistance
17 Jan 1997	DR-1159	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Apr 1989	DR-822	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains, Flooding & Mudslides	Public assistance
21 May 1980	DR-623	Major disaster	Volcanic Eruption	Volcanic Eruption, Mt. St. Helens	Individual assistance, Public assistance
10 Jun 1972	DR-334	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Okanogan County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197889

Paid claims55

Total paid$479K

Average paid claim$9K

Repetitive-loss properties30 severe

Residential policies in force1830.8% of 24,104 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2023	1	0	$0	—
2018	13	11	$184,451	$16,768
2017	9	4	$31,713	$7,928
2015	2	1	$7,296	$7,296
2014	2	0	$0	—
2011	2	1	$2,818	$2,818
2008	3	3	$9,751	$3,250
2006	4	4	$22,293	$5,573
2005	1	1	$2,784	$2,784
2001	2	1	$35,000	$35,000
1999	5	3	$38,374	$12,791
1998	3	0	$0	—
1997	12	9	$20,936	$2,326
1991	6	2	$16,512	$8,256
1990	1	1	$14,400	$14,400
1986	2	1	$495	$495
1985	1	0	$0	—
1984	4	2	$12,433	$6,216
1983	10	7	$76,562	$10,937
1982	4	3	$2,549	$850
1979	2	1	$410	$410

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 89.2 of 100

Expected annual loss$51MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$22,926,689
Wildfire	Relatively High	$19,555,444
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$3,337,409
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$2,009,114
Avalanche	Relatively High	$1,079,317
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$656,535
Hail	Relatively Moderate	$619,986
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$253,312
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$140,163
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$88,539
Landslide	Relatively Moderate	$81,719
Tornado	Very Low	$20,393
Ice storm	Very Low	$2,923
Drought	Very Low	$2,723
Volcanic activity	Very Low	$166

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).

ZIP codes with flood claims

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Okanogan County, WA?

NCEI records 36 hail events in Okanogan County since 1950, in 16 different years; that is about 0.5 recorded events a year. 2 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Okanogan County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 5 tornadoes in Okanogan County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Okanogan County?

3 Aug 2026: Wildfires, a emergency declaration for fire. The county appears in 42 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Okanogan County, and how much was paid?

89 NFIP claims since 1978, 55 of them paid, for $479K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Okanogan County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Very Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Okanogan County compare with the rest of Washington?

4.4 recorded events per 100 square miles against 15.1 statewide, and 2.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 2.1. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.