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: 0.
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.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by WV GS (19), NASA (9), USGS PA (Pomeroy, 1974) (2), USGS Conterminous (1).

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Oct 21, 2021Tornado$7.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A NWS damage survey confirmed that an EF-2 tornado, with winds|peaking near 130 MPH, tracked through western Washington County|on the evening of October 21, 2021. The length was over 15 miles|long and the width varies in some areas but the maximum was between 600 |to 700 yards. This tornado was associated with the same circulation |that initially produced a tornado in Jefferson County, Ohio earlier. ||Weak tornado damage was first noted along Brashears Run Road with|a few fallen trees. The storm rapidly intensified along Indian |Camp Rd, where a mobile home had roof damage and a well-structured|deck was ripped and tossed into the neighbors yard. Many trees |were snapped and…

2. Sep 17, 2004Flood, Washington$5.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan started during the night of the 16th, and continued into the evening of the 17th. At 115 PM EDT on 17th, roads flooded in Canonsburg and Washington. At 206 PM, there was widespread stream flooding in Burgettstown, McDonald, and Midway. At 217 PM, Houston flooded. 315 PM, Rtes 50 and 980 were flooded in Avella and Cecil. 5 PM, mud slides in Peters Twp, which had 4" of rain. By 8 PM, Washington 5" of rain. Total of 961 structures damaged or destroyed. Towns hard hit: Avella, Burgettstown, Cecil, Independence, Peters, Washington. Many roads closed by mud slides or flooded. Trailer park in Canton washed away. Some trailer park residents were…

3. Jun 13, 2002Flash Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms produced up to 2.5 inches of rain in only a few hours, which fell onto ground that was already soaked from previous rainfall. This torrential rainfall forced the already-swollen Maple Creek out of its banks, producing significant flooding across the far eastern sections of Washington County. The flooding was the worst residents had seen in recent years, with the most of the damage found in a two-mile stretch from Charleroi, running west along Maple Creek Road and into Fallowfield Township. Some scattered reports of flooding on the outskirts of nearby California were also received by emergency management officials. The hardest hit areas were reportedly along Twilight…

4. Feb 19, 2000Flood, Washington$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread heavy rains of between 2.0 and 3.0 inches fell across southwest Pennsylvania on February 18th. This rain fell onto ground that was already nearly saturated from heavy rainfall a few days earlier. These conditions produced moderate flash flooding across the southwest corner of the state starting late on the 18th and continued into the 19th. However, the heaviest rainfall during this event occurred over the headwaters of the Monongahela River in northern West Virginia, where widespread rainfall exceeding 3.0 inches was recorded. This produced major river flooding downstream along the Monongahela River towards Pittsburgh. This rain event also produced minor flooding along…

5. Jan 19, 1996Flood, Washington$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   On the Monongahela River near record flooding occurred at all Pennsylvania forecast points, except where record flooding occurred at Lock 2 Braddock. The crest at Lock 2 actually exceeded the crest during the flood of November 1985 by almost a foot. This was due to the tremendous contribution made by the Youghiogheny River during this particular flood. The crest at Braddock was 29.1 feet, 7.1 feet above its 22 foot flood stage, at 9 am on the 20th. Damage was extensive along the river.In Greene County, 9 homes, 3 businesses, and 3 trailer courts were affected.In Fayette County, 499 residences, 55 businesses, 4 churches, 1 fire department, 30 roads, 5 bridges, and 4 sewage plants…

6. Aug 7, 2000Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Washington County, the flooding from the storms damaged 250 homes or buildings. According to county officials, the McDonald, Midway and Charleroi areas were the hardest hit. In the Mount Pleasant area, 20 families were evacuated from their homes due to the threat of flooding. County officials were forced to close 10 roads during this event, and a mudslide on State Route 88 near Fredericktown kept that road closed until well into the day on the 7th.

7. Jan 6, 2005Flood, Washington$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   By 10 PM on 5th, several roads closed by flooding in Bentleyville and elsewhere; Avella had a mud slide on Rte 50. By 1220 AM on 6th, Rtes 18, 50, 221, and 519 closed in northern part of county. Chartiers Creek flooded Houston, after 3 inches of rain. Rte 980 flooded in Cecil Twp. By 1 AM on 6th, Pigeon Creek closed Rte 481 near Monongalia. A total of 30 roads closed by flood or mud slide. On the Monongahela River, Elizabeth was above flood stage (20 ft), on the 6th, from 330 AM to 730 PM; it crested 21.2 ft 1130 AM on 6th. On the Monongahela River, Charleroi was above flood stage (28 ft), on the 6th, from 3 AM to 1 PM; it crested 28.9 ft 8 AM on 6th.

8. May 9, 2002Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   1.25 inches of rain in less than an hour from thunderstorms passing over the area produced flash flooding that flooded 25 basements, washed out a bridge and damaged several roads in the West Brownsville, Deemston and California areas.

9. Aug 12, 2023Tornado$350,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh conducted a storm|survey and concluded the damage was consistent with an EF-1 tornado. |Tornado damage began along Valley View Road in East Finley township. |An intermittent, and extremely narrow damage path continued along |Cracraft Road where an attached patio roof was taken off along with |part of the roof to the main residence. Additional snapped |or uprooted trees were observed further east along the |street at a neighboring residense. The most significant damage |occurred just past the midpoint of the tornado track, along the west |side of PA Route 221 where a cluster of approximately 30 pine trees |were all snapped near the base up…

10. Oct 21, 2021Tornado$325,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A NWS damage survey confirmed that an EF-1 tornado, with winds|speeds ranging between 90 to 95 MPH, tracked through portions of|Peters Township in Washington County on the evening of October|21, 2021. The length was 1.5 miles and the width in some areas|was about 100 to 200 yards. This tornado was associated with the same |circulation that initially produced an EF-1 tornado in Jefferson |County, OH and an EF-2 in Hopewell Township a few miles to the |west. ||A few broken branches were noted along Thomas Road near|Peters Lake Park. However, the tornado quickly intensified as it|cross Hill Place Road. Trees were uprooted and snapped in the|vicinity of Springdale Road and Sunrise…

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

103°FJul 16, 1988

All-time low

−22°FJan 19, 1994

Warmest night

77°F2 times, most recently Jul 23, 2010

Coldest day

−3°F2 times, most recently Jan 19, 1994

Wettest day

5.95 inSep 17, 2004

Snowiest day

23.6 inMar 13, 1993

Hottest year

2024mean 56.4°F

Coldest year

1976mean 48.0°F

Wettest year

201857.83 in

Driest year

196326.79 in

Snowiest season

82.0 in1950-51

Station Pittsburgh Asos (USW00094823), 1,119 ft elevation, 19.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00094823.
• 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.
• 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.