Washington County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Washington County: 3.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

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.

Claims by ZIP code

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

River crests

River gauges

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.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Oct 10, 2018Hurricane (Typhoon), Washington$250 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Michael started as typical weak October Caribbean tropical system. However, after approximately a week of slow development, the system moved into warm Gulf of Mexico waters and rapidly intensified into a major hurricane as it moved north towards the Florida Panhandle. After a 2-day long intensification period over the eastern Gulf, Michael made landfall as an unprecedented (for the region) high-end category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Florida Panhandle with maximum sustained wind speed of 155 mph and a minimum pressure 919 mb. Based on wind, Michael is the fourth most powerful hurricane to hit the United States, behind the Labor Day…

2. Jul 4, 2013Flood$18.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Disastrous areal flooding occurred across Washington county with most county roads flooded. Transportation was severely impacted across the county with schools closed and a federal disaster declaration obtained. Preliminary damage estimates for the county were around $18.7 million.

3. Sep 16, 2020Flash Flood$18.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive flash flooding occurred throughout Washington county with record flooding recorded along Holmes Creek at Vernon. Damage cost was estimated.

4. Aug 16, 2021Flood$11.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall up to 9 inches in some areas of Washington county led to significant flooding. Total flood damages in Washington county were estimated by emergency management to be near $11.5 million, including $200K for Category B emergency protective measures, $11 million for Category C roads and bridges, and $150K for Category E public buildings and equipment.

5. Mar 10, 1998Flood, Washington$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Walton, and Jackson counties were declared federal disaster areas. Nearly 6 inches of rain from March 8-9 caused urban/small stream flooding in Bayou George and much of the north and northwest Bay County. In Calhoun County, 28 county roads and State Road 69 were closed to flooding. Approximately 400 homes and businesses sustained flood damage (57 in Blountstown). The Chipola River at Altha crested near 31.2 feet on March 14. The Apalachicola River at Blountstown crested near 27.2 feet (third highest) on March 13. In Dixie County, rising waters along the Suwannee River forced the evacuation of 200 residents. Numerous county and…

6. Aug 18, 2013Flash Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall caused widespread flash flooding with impacts mainly to roads across Washington county. Numerous dirt roads were damaged and some homes may have been affected by water. Monetary damage was estimated.

7. Apr 30, 2014Flood$2.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding occurred across Washington county at the end of the month due to a combination of very heavy rainfall and already saturated conditions. Many roads in the county sustained damage with damage estimated at $2,155,731.

8. Sep 15, 2004Hurricane (Typhoon), Washington$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Ivan made landfall near Gulf Shores, AL, during the predawn hours of September 16. Maximum sustained winds reached 50 knots, with gusts to 62 knots at Buoy 42039, 80 miles south of Panama City, FL. The lowest sea-level pressure was 999.6 mb at Panama City. Rainfall totals ranged from 9.26 inches at Mossy Head, FL, to 0.15 inches at Cross City, FL. Storm tides along the Gulf coast varied from ten feet in Bay and Walton counties to four feet in Taylor and Dixie counties. Large swells from Ivan began to the affect the Gulf coast from the St. Joseph Peninsula to the Suwannee River on September 14. Storm surges continued for several hours after landfall. Beach erosion varied…

9. Mar 15, 2001Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An F2 tornado touched down in the Sunny Hills subdivision near Gin Lake in southeast Washington County, and raced northeast into southwest Jackson County. The tornado struck the Country Oaks, Buckhorn Creek, and Highview Acres communities. The hardest hit area was Highview Acres where 20 homes were damaged or destroyed. One man was killed when his mobile home was destroyed. 21 people were injured. Hundreds of trees were uprooted and debris scattered over several miles along the tornado's path. Numerous downed power lines affected 4,500 customers. Reported by the Washington County EMA.

10. Feb 25, 2013Flood$1.4 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Significant areal flooding occurred across Washington county due to prolonged periods of moderate to heavy rainfall. Four day rainfall totals of 8-12 inches were estimated across the county between Feb 22-26. The emergency manager estimated over $1.3 million in damages across the county, mainly due to road repair. At least 27 separate road closures were reported across the county.

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.

All-time high

104°F2 times, most recently Jun 7, 1985

All-time low

2°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

80°F3 times, most recently Jul 22, 2018

Coldest day

25°FJan 22, 1985

Wettest day

8.22 inApr 1, 1948

Snowiest day

1.5 inFeb 13, 1958

Hottest year

1949mean 69.8°F

Coldest year

1976mean 62.9°F

Wettest year

201382.49 in

Driest year

195429.09 in

Snowiest season

1.5 in1957-58

Station Chipley (USC00081544), 130 ft elevation, 10.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1939 to October 27, 2026; 88.9% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00081544.
• 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.
• 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.