States › Washington › Stevens County
Stevens County, Washington
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
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.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 117 storm events in Stevens County, Washington, led by damaging wind.
That is 4.7 events per 100 square miles, below the Washington figure of 15.1, and 24.7 per 10,000 residents against 12.9 statewide.
0 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 0 deaths and 0 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $5.3M and crop damage at $51K.
FEMA has designated the county in 23 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Wildfires (emergency, 3 Aug 2026).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 15 claims since 1978, of which 8 were paid, totalling $61K (about $8K per paid claim). FEMA counts 55 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($18M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Washington and the United States
| Measure | Stevens County | Washington | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 117 | 10,014 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 4.7 | 15.1 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 24.7 | 12.9 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 0 | 130 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 0 | 321 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $5.3M | $4.6B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.3 | 2.1 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $8K | $29K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 5.5 | 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
Trend: 78 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 32 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Mar 2017 | Flood | Flood | — | $1.6M | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Aug 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 70 mph | $800K | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Apr 2017 | Flood | Flood | — | $800K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Aug 2004 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $438K | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Aug 1997 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $400K | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Aug 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 70 mph | $300K | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Aug 1980 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 9 May 2018 | Flood | Flood | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jan 2020 | Debris Flow | Other | — | $100K | — | — | — | 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 |
| 2 Aug 2026 | FM-5659 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Autumn Lane Fire | Public assistance |
| 16 Aug 2021 | FM-5411 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ford Corkscrew 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 |
| 15 Jan 2016 | DR-4249 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 20 Oct 2015 | DR-4243 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 21 Aug 2015 | FM-5108 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Renner Fire | Public assistance |
| 21 Aug 2015 | EM-3372 | Emergency | Fire | Wildfires | Public assistance |
| 15 Aug 2015 | FM-5103 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Stevens County Fire Complex | Public assistance |
| 10 Jul 2014 | FM-5058 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Lake Spokane Fire | Public assistance |
| 27 Aug 2010 | FM-2854 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Slide Creek Wildfire | Public assistance |
| 2 Mar 2009 | DR-1825 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Public assistance |
| 8 Aug 2006 | FM-2663 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Valley Mill Fire | Public assistance |
| 7 Sep 2005 | EM-3227 | Emergency | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 5 Oct 1998 | DR-1252 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Wa Storms & Flooding 5/26/98 | Public assistance |
| 2 Apr 1997 | DR-1172 | Major disaster | Flood | Heavy Rains, Snow Melt, Flooding, Land & Mud Slides | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 17 Jan 1997 | DR-1159 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Nov 1991 | DR-922 | Major disaster | Fire | Fires | 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 |
| 31 Mar 1977 | EM-3037 | Emergency | Drought | Drought | Public assistance |
| 25 Jan 1974 | DR-414 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Snowmelt & 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
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2017 | 2 | 1 | $6,933 | $6,933 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2011 | 2 | 1 | $527 | $527 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | $14,493 | $7,246 |
| 2000 | 2 | 1 | $4,553 | $4,553 |
| 1997 | 3 | 2 | $31,034 | $15,517 |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1995 | 1 | 1 | $3,886 | $3,886 |
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
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $10,607,067 | |
| Wildfire | $4,891,732 | |
| Cold wave | $1,594,191 | |
| Heat wave | $540,286 | |
| Earthquake | $157,459 | |
| Landslide | $147,058 | |
| Tornado | $85,833 | |
| Winter weather | $84,717 | |
| Strong wind | $82,072 | |
| Ice storm | $66,972 | |
| Lightning | $28,622 | |
| Hail | $18,010 | |
| Avalanche | $257 | |
| Drought | $170 |
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
- 99109 6
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 Stevens County, WA?
NCEI records 31 hail events in Stevens County since 1950, in 13 different years; that is about 0.4 recorded events a year. 6 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Stevens County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 5 tornadoes in Stevens County since 1950, 1 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Stevens County?
3 Aug 2026: Wildfires, a emergency declaration for fire. The county appears in 23 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Stevens County, and how much was paid?
15 NFIP claims since 1978, 8 of them paid, for $61K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Stevens County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Stevens County compare with the rest of Washington?
4.7 recorded events per 100 square miles against 15.1 statewide, and 0.3 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.