Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

Population 5,777 (2025) 5,268 sq mi

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has 58 weather events in the National Weather Service record since 1950.

Hazard fingerprint for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area Tornado: 0th percentile. Tropical: 0th percentile. Wildfire: 0th percentile. Flood: 0th percentile. Hail & wind: 1th percentile. Heat: 0th percentile. Cold: 0th percentile. Winter: 15th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

At a glance

The record for Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Largest earthquake within 50 mi

7.5magnitude

January 4, 2013, 43.4 miles away

Details

Federal disaster declarations

2

Most recent: Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides, 2024

Details

Record high

94°F

July 4, 1997

Details

Record low

−16°F

February 1, 1998

Details

Tornadoes

No tornado is recorded here in the Storm Prediction Center database, which begins in 1950.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.

Wildfire and smoke

No large wildfire has been mapped here since satellite mapping began in 1984.

Smoke overhead

Smokiest year

2023: 15 days

Heavy smoke on 4 days in 2019, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

4.5 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

2 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 5 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 3 2014: 1 2015: 2 2016: 0 2017: 2 2018: 2 2019: 12 2020: 4 2021: 1 2022: 2 2023: 15 15 2024: 5 2025: 2 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Floods and flood insurance

No federal flood insurance claims are recorded for this county.

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

Most severe crest

January 14, 2014

Thorne River near Thorne Bay, 14.98 ft

2.48 feet above the 12.5 ft flood stage; moderate flooding by today’s categories.

Most recent moderate or major crest

March 12, 2014

Thorne River near Thorne Bay, 14.82 ft

Moderate flooding.

Highest river crests above flood stage
Jan 14, 2014Thorne River near Thorne Bay14.98+2.48Moderate
Mar 12, 2014Thorne River near Thorne Bay14.82+2.32Moderate
Jan 14, 2014Staney Creek near Klawock17.55+1.05Moderate
Dec 2, 2024Thorne River near Thorne Bay13.57+1.07Minor
Oct 26, 1993Staney Creek near Klawock17.20+0.70Minor
Mar 12, 2014Staney Creek near Klawock16.93+0.43Minor
Nov 24, 2022Thorne River near Thorne Bay12.88+0.38Minor
Jan 21, 2015Thorne River near Thorne Bay12.81+0.31Minor
Dec 6, 1990Staney Creek near Klawock16.78+0.28Minor
Nov 2, 2020Thorne River near Thorne Bay12.74+0.24Minor
Nov 29, 2020Thorne River near Thorne Bay12.66+0.16Minor
Dec 2, 2004Staney Creek near Klawock16.60+0.10Minor
Oct 21, 1999Staney Creek near Klawock16.37−0.13Action
Oct 2, 2021Thorne River near Thorne Bay12.13−0.37Action
Oct 21, 2015Thorne River near Thorne Bay12.04−0.46Action
Jan 29, 1993Staney Creek near Klawock15.93−0.57Action
Apr 2, 1997Staney Creek near Klawock15.60−0.90Action
Nov 22, 2019Thorne River near Thorne Bay11.52−0.98Action
Sep 12, 2012Thorne River near Thorne Bay11.51−0.99Action
Feb 3, 2009Staney Creek near Klawock15.48−1.02Action
Sep 3, 2011Staney Creek near Klawock15.46−1.04Action
Oct 26, 2020Staney Creek near Klawock15.37−1.13Action
Dec 11, 2013Thorne River near Thorne Bay11.31−1.19Action
Sep 24, 2004Staney Creek near Klawock15.26−1.24Action
Oct 29, 2011Staney Creek near Klawock15.22−1.28Action

River gauges

River gauges and their highest listed crests
Chester Lake above Chester Lake Dam near Metlakatla857.3855.72 ftSep 24, 20210
Port Alexander Tide Gauge at Port Alexander (MLLW datum)13.6——0
Staney Creek near Klawock16.517.55 ftJan 14, 20140
Thorne River near Thorne Bay12.514.98 ftJan 14, 20140
  1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Drought

NOAA’s county drought index covers the lower 48 states only.

Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and landslides

59 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 7.5 in 2013.

6

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

195

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

59

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

17

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

January 4, 2013

Magnitude 7.5

110 km SW of Edna Bay, Alaska; 43.4 miles away, 5.4 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

July 3, 2026

Magnitude 3.3

66 km WSW of Port Alexander, Alaska; 37.7 miles away.

Earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles, by year 1973: 1 1974: 1 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 0 1979: 2 1980: 0 1981: 1 1982: 1 1983: 2 1984: 2 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 0 1988: 0 1989: 0 1990: 2 1991: 0 1992: 1 1993: 2 1994: 0 1995: 9 1996: 0 1997: 1 1998: 3 1999: 0 2000: 0 2001: 2 2002: 1 2003: 3 2004: 10 2005: 1 2006: 1 2007: 1 2008: 3 2009: 3 2010: 3 2011: 4 2012: 2 2013: 103 103 2014: 0 2015: 4 2016: 0 2017: 6 2018: 2 2019: 7 2020: 1 2021: 0 2022: 2 2023: 2 2024: 4 2025: 1 19731978198319881993199820032008201320182023
Per year, 1973 to 2025.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

Earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
Jan 14, 20254.433.615.291 km S of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 11, 20245.942.16.969 km WNW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jul 4, 20194.340.70.294 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Mar 9, 20194.844.217.5Southeastern Alaska
Dec 25, 20174.035.015.883 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Aug 9, 20174.432.18.9117 km SW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Sep 25, 20134.441.11.772 km WSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
May 26, 20134.434.010.084 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Apr 29, 20134.342.38.360 km ENE of Thoms Place, Alaska
Jan 31, 20135.936.98.792 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 14, 20135.547.68.4116 km WSW of Craig, Alaska
Jan 9, 20134.238.712.498 km SW of Edna Bay, Alaska
Jan 8, 20134.740.46.0Southeastern Alaska
Jan 8, 20134.940.012.498 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 8, 20134.329.03.351 km WSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 7, 20134.036.412.495 km SW of Edna Bay, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.533.512.467 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.037.512.4102 km WSW of Craig, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.248.26.599 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.038.08.377 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.037.712.490 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 5, 20135.242.56.2107 km WSW of Craig, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.038.812.488 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.733.76.2off the coast of Southeastern Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.135.06.266 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.546.20.4115 km WSW of Craig, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.737.012.479 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 5, 20134.021.26.242 km SW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jan 4, 20137.543.45.4110 km SW of Edna Bay, Alaska
Apr 28, 20124.246.16.2138 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Jul 4, 20044.941.88.3110 km SW of Craig, Alaska
Jun 28, 20046.836.912.498 km WSW of Craig, Alaska
Feb 8, 20044.335.610.484 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jul 12, 20035.920.66.247 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jul 12, 20035.937.912.4122 km WSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Sep 5, 20025.147.312.4139 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Jul 9, 20014.516.115.527 km W of Port Alexander, Alaska
Feb 17, 20014.139.66.2120 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Dec 15, 19984.649.37.739 km SW of Sitka, Alaska
Dec 15, 19984.647.36.2110 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Sep 9, 19984.244.212.4136 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Nov 11, 19954.445.46.279 km SW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Oct 24, 19954.140.10.097 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Oct 23, 19954.137.40.089 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Oct 22, 19954.223.86.244 km SW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Mar 27, 19904.143.76.2101 km SSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Aug 30, 19845.944.16.2132 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
May 2, 19844.932.46.2off the coast of Southeastern Alaska
Jul 31, 19834.827.56.2107 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Apr 5, 19835.135.46.2122 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
May 14, 19824.134.26.2121 km SW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Oct 10, 19794.441.520.569 km W of Port Alexander, Alaska
Jul 11, 19795.143.26.2105 km S of Port Alexander, Alaska
Apr 8, 19744.048.920.5145 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Aug 15, 19725.234.37.856 km W of Port Alexander, Alaska
Aug 4, 19726.131.012.453 km WSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Nov 17, 19566.218.39.396 km SW of Hydaburg, Alaska
Oct 30, 19496.245.89.378 km WSW of Port Alexander, Alaska
Aug 2, 19456.244.09.3126 km SSW of Hydaburg, Alaska
  1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
  2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Tsunamis

Highest water recorded

Mar 28, 1964

15.1 ft, Klawock, AK

From Prince William Sound, AK (magnitude 9.2 earthquake).

On record

15 tsunamis

Since 1918.

Tsunamis recorded here
Jul 29, 2025Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, M8.80.720
Jan 15, 2022Tonga Islands1.210
Jul 29, 2021Kodiak Island, AK, M8.20.320
Jan 23, 2018Kodiak Island, AK, M7.90.210
Sep 16, 2015Central Chile, M8.30.310
Feb 6, 2013Santa Cruz Islands, M7.90.210
Jan 5, 2013Se. Alaska, AK, M7.50.520
Oct 28, 2012British Columbia, M7.70.420
Mar 11, 2011Honshu Island, M9.11.420
Feb 27, 2010Central Chile, M8.80.820
Sep 29, 2009Samoa Islands, M8.10.420
Jul 30, 1972Se. Alaska, AK, M7.6—10
Mar 28, 1964Prince William Sound, AK, M9.215.140
May 22, 1960Southern Chile, M9.54.050
Sep 7, 1918S. Kuril Islands, M8.20.110
  1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Volcanoes within 100 miles

Volcanoes within 100 miles
Tlevak Strait-Suemez IslandInsideVery low164
Duncan Canal11.6Very low49
Behm Canal-Rudyerd Bay14.3Very low1,640
Edgecumbe52.2Moderate3,182
  1. U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.

USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

13,261

Landslides mapped, probable or better

1,007

With a recorded date

3

Source inventories

Mapped by USDA-FS AK Tongass (13,085), AK DOT (174), NASA (2).

  1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

Severe weather and other events

58 events in the National Weather Service record, 58 of them since 1996.

0

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

0

Hail, 2 inches or larger

0

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

21

Winter weather events since 1996

0

Heat events since 1996

0

Cold events since 1996

  1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

Weather records

From Klawock Airport, 15.9 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1997.

All-time high
94°FJul 4, 1997
All-time low
−16°FFeb 1, 1998
Warmest night
63°F2 times, most recently Aug 21, 2026
Coldest day
1°FJan 29, 1998
Wettest day
3.94 inOct 25, 2003
Hottest year
2016mean 48.4°F
Coldest year
2012mean 43.6°F
Wettest year
1999113.67 in
Driest year
202361.93 in
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Klawock Airport 32°F 41° 32° 8.8 Jan 41° 30° 5.9 Feb 44° 31° 6.7 Mar 50° 35° 5.2 Apr 57° 42° 4.2 May 61° 47° 3.3 Jun 64° 51° 4.1 Jul 65° 52° 6.3 Aug 60° 47° 9.3 Sep 52° 40° 10.4 Oct 44° 35° 9.2 Nov 40° 31° 8.5 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Nights at or below freezing per year 1999: 93 2000: 88 2001: 85 2002: 94 2003: 88 2004: 86 2005: 75 2006: 102 2007: 93 2008: 106 2009: 95 2010: 83 2011: 108 2012: 108 2013: 84 2014: 85 2015: 66 2016: 47 2017: 99 2018: 86 2019: 85 2021: 126 126 2022: 91 2023: 71 2024: 77 199920092019
Nights at or below freezing each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 88.8.

Station Klawock Airport (USW00025367), 68 ft elevation, 15.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1997 to October 26, 2026; 94.4% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Federal disaster declarations

2 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides, April 6, 2024.

Federal disaster declarations
Apr 6, 2024Mud/LandslideSevere Storm, Flooding, and LandslidesMajor disasterDR-4767-AK
Apr 9, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4533-AK

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

How this compares

Where Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area stands among 30 counties in Alaska and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 19500——
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger0——
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi0——
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi0——
Wildfire acres since 19840——
Flood insurance claims0——
Flood insurance paid$0——
Disaster declarations224 / 303,135 / 3,143
Flood events since 19960——
Hail and wind events since 1996376 / 303,042 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 19962115 / 302,615 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$0——
River crests at major flood stage0——
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 18950——
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years4.516 / 303,080 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19005923 / 30157 / 3,143
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973625 / 30418 / 3,143

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Ketchikan Gateway Borough00011
Petersburg Borough0000
Sitka City and Borough0006

Sources and vintage

Every number on this page comes from these public records.

  • Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
  • Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
  • Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
  • Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
  • Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
  • Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
  • Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00025367.
  • River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
  • Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
  • Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
  • Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
  • Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
  • Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
  • Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.