Okanogan County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Okanogan 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 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.

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.

Tsunamis

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

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

Mapped by WA WGS (314), NASA (10), West Coast Slow Moving (Yuankun and others, 2021) (7), USGS Conterminous (4).

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. Aug 1, 2014Wildfire, Okanogan Valley$120 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The lightning-caused fire, which began July 14, blackened 269,186 acres; leveled approximately 325 homes, 146 barns, outbuildings and fences; damaged utilities, killed cattle, wildlife and other livestock, and destroyed or damaged orchards, crops, forest and range land. Total cost to fight the fire was approximately 87 million dollars. The fire spanned two different public zones and cost and acreage is highly uncertain per zone.

2. Jul 14, 2014Wildfire, Okanogan Valley$120 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The lightning-caused fire, which began July 14, blackened 269,186 acres; leveled approximately 325 homes; 146 barns, outbuildings and fences; damaged utilities; killed cattle, wildlife and other stock; and destroyed or damaged orchards, crops, forest and range land. Total cost to fight the fire was approximately 87 million dollars. The fire spanned two different public zones and cost and acreage is highly uncertain per zone.

3. Jul 26, 2026Wildfire, Western Okanogan County$73.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Sinlahekin Wildfire was discovered around 1312 PST on July 26. It was started by an undetermined cause. It is located west of Tonasket. It burned 166000 acres of timber and grassland. Thirty three structures were lost including 12 homes. It continued through the end of July. Cost is estimated.

4. Jul 16, 2026Wildfire, Okanogan Valley$38.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Kaiser Canyon Wildfire was discovered around 0430 PST on July 16. It was started by lightning. It is located near Nespelem. It burned 138285 acres of timber and grassland. Forty structures were lost including 22 homes and 18 outbuildings. It continued through the end of July. Cost is estimated.

5. Jul 17, 2026Wildfire, Okanogan Highlands$35.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Modrite Wildfire was discovered around 0651 PST on July 17. It was started by lightning. It is located 17 miles southwest of Inchelium. It burned 58000 acres of timber and grassland. Seventy one residences were destroyed. It continued through the end of July. Cost is estimated.

6. Sep 2, 2025Wildfire, Okanogan Highlands$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lynx Mountain Fire started on September 2 by suspected human cause. It was located 7 miles Northwest of Inchelium. It burned 9226 acres of brush and timber. It continued through September. Cost is estimated.

7. Oct 1, 2025Wildfire, Okanogan Highlands$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lynx Mountain Fire started on September 2 by suspected human cause. It was located 7 miles Northwest of Inchelium. It burned 9226 acres of brush and timber. Cost is estimated. Containment date is estimated.

8. Jul 17, 2024Wildfire, Okanogan Highlands$19.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Swawilla Fire has burned 53462 acres of mixed grass and timber. It lasted through the rest of the July. The cost is estimated.

9. Aug 1, 2024Wildfire, Okanogan Highlands$19.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The fire started on July 17 by lightning. It was contained on Aug 16. It is located 11 miles east of Grand Coulee. The fire burned 53462 acres of mixed grass and timber. The cost is estimated.

10. Sep 1, 2025Wildfire, Okanogan Highlands$18.5 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Rattlesnake Fire started on September 1 by unknown cause. It was located 2 miles West of Seven Bays. It burned 21845 acres of brush and grass. It was contained on September 28. Cost is estimated.

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

109°FJun 30, 2021

All-time low

−48°FDec 30, 1968

Warmest night

78°FJul 16, 1906

Coldest day

−21°FDec 30, 1968

Wettest day

2.58 inJul 29, 1958

Snowiest day

52.0 inJan 21, 1935

Hottest year

1998mean 48.6°F

Coldest year

1955mean 41.4°F

Wettest year

194824.11 in

Driest year

19356.12 in

Snowiest season

164.4 in1955-56

Station Winthrop 1 Wsw (USC00459376), 1,749 ft elevation, 27.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1906 to October 22, 2026; 98.0% 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 USC00459376.
• 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.