7 Most Common Natural Disasters In Washington (Hurricanes!?)

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My wife grew up in Washington and told me it was literally impossible for a hurricane to hit the Washington coast.

I was pretty confused, then, when we were looking to move to Oregon and she was emphatic that we stay away from flood and tsunami zones. Wait, what? Isn’t a tsunami and a hurricane basically the same thing? I thought the coasts of the Pacific Northwest were generally free of natural disasters.

It turns out that I was wrong. I guess there’s a first for everything.

Long story short, Washington is quite safe from most natural disasters. It’s unlikely that you’ll see Washington State (or any other part of the PNW) on the news needing cleanup after a massive storm. Those are reserved for tropical areas. There are however several types of natural disasters that occur in Washington, including something like hurricanes.

Washington is generally free from hurricanes, tornadoes, and major earthquakes. The most common natural disasters include floods, wildfires, and severe storms.

However, that doesn’t mean you won’t experience one or more of the “big” natural disasters in your lifetime. Let’s talk about how common they are and if you should expect one near you soon.

Hurricanes In Washington State

Washington State does not typically get hurricanes. The state’s location on the West Coast of the United States makes it geographically less susceptible to hurricanes compared to states on the East Coast or the Gulf Coast.

Now, if you ask someone who’s pedantic, they’ll tell you that Washington State does not experience hurricanes, ever. It’s impossible. But it’s mostly impossible due to semantics, let me explain.

Hurricanes, by definition, are tropical and require an option temperature of at least 80° F to form.

In Washington State, we get “tropical cyclones”. Or at least we have the potential to receive what’s left of them.

Hurricanes and typhoons form over warm ocean waters near the equator, and the majority of these storms in the Northern Hemisphere move westward due to trade winds and the Coriolis Effect (Earth’s Axis Rotation). When they encounter land or cooler waters, they begin to lose strength. The Pacific Ocean off the West Coast of the U.S. is quite cold, which is not conducive to hurricane/typhoon development or maintenance.

However, Washington can experience other types of severe weather, such as heavy rain, strong winds, and occasionally, tornadoes. The state can also be impacted by the remnants of tropical cyclones (the generic term for hurricanes, typhoons, and similar storms) that originally formed in the western Pacific.

These remnants can bring heavy rainfall and wind, but they are not hurricanes by the time they reach Washington.

However, it’s still not something that you’ll need to worry about when visiting. While there have been quite a few severe windstorms in the past 100 years (and they appear to be increasing in frequency) the possibility of a significantly-damaging storm remains quite low.

Average Peak Instant Gust (mph)Windstorm CategoryApproximate Return Interval
39-44MinorSeveral per year
45-54ModerateAnnual
55-64MajorOnce every 2–3 years
65-74ExtremeOnce every 5–10 years
75+PhenomenalOnce every 25–50 years
Office of Washington State Climatologist Windstorm Categories

So, names aside, Seattle and the surrounding area are prone to massive wind storms.

It just won’t be a hurricane and, most likely, won’t be a typhoon or cyclone.

Seattle’s Largest Hurrican (Cyclone)

Now, just because a storm is unlikely doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

Seattle has had its fair share of hurricane-like storms that have decimated areas of the coast (and caused a significant loss of life).

The largest cyclone to hit Seattle in recent history was the Hanukkah Eve windstorm of 2006.

This extratropical windstorm formed on December 13, 2006, and dissipated on December 15, 2006. It produced hurricane-force wind gusts and heavy rainfall.

The highest recorded wind speed after landfall in the PNW was 74 mph at Hood Canal Bridge, with the highest gust reaching 114 mph at Mt. Hebo, Oregon. The storm caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and left over 1.8 million residences and businesses without power.

A total of 18 people were killed, most of whom died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the days following the storm due to improper use of barbecue cookers and generators indoors​.

The storm heavily impacted Washington, particularly causing extensive tree damage. Fallen trees knocked down many power lines and closed numerous roads. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport partially lost power, leading to the cancellation of most flights.

Flooding was also reported in low-lying areas due to the heavy rain. The electricity grid was hit very hard, with about 1.2 million customers losing power in the state, and Puget Sound Energy reported that more than 75 percent of its circuits were damaged. In the aftermath of the storm, hundreds of thousands of families in the Seattle area remained without power for several days, with many having to leave their homes and move into hotels or emergency shelters. The power outage even forced Microsoft to shut down large portions of its campus in Redmond on December 15​.

Among the fatalities, 14 were reported in Western Washington, including voice actress Kate Fleming who was trapped in a flooded basement. A number of deaths were caused by falling trees, while eight people died from carbon monoxide poisoning, five of whom were members of a single family in Burien​.

So…not impossible…just unlikely. But I’m still scared.

Other Possible Natural Disasters In Washington State

Earthquakes

Every year the state of Washington is hit by nearly 1,000 earthquakes. However, even if you live here you might never have felt one. 99% of these earthquakes are too minor to be felt by humans and pass by unnoticed.

But that’s not to say that big earthquakes haven’t happened or won’t happen in Washington State.

When it comes to states most at risk for major earthquakes, most scientific lists place Washington in either the 4th or 5th position.

The major cause for this is that there are three enormous fault lines that run through the state. Any one of these has the potential to cause a major earthquake as well as corollary disasters such as landslides, wildfires, and, of course, a massive tsunami.

The largest of these faults is the Cascade Subduction Zone which runs parallel to the Pacific Coast all the way from California into Canada. It if slipped, it is capable of producing a 9.0 magnitude quake which could last for several minutes, causing a massive tsunami and devastating coasting cities such as Seattle.

According to many sources, this quake could potentially be the largest one that has ever been experienced in North America.

However, the chance of major quakes from year to year remains slight.

The most recent major earthquake to hit Washington happened more than 20 years ago. The Nisqually Earthquake’s epicenter was in the southern region of the Puget Sound (northeast of Olympia, Washington) but it was felt through eastern Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and even Idaho. In other words, the entire PNW.

The quake lasted less than a minute but injured over 400 people during that time as well as caused between $1 and $4 billion worth of damages to property.

So, while even Washington residents don’t think much of earthquakes, if you’re in the PNW you should take seriously the possibility of a significant earthquake and know what you’re going to do if one hits. Because it’s only a matter of time.

Tornadoes

tornado damage washington state
July 2014 Tornado Aftermath in Spokane, Washington

If you live in the PNW you can probably cross tornadoes off your list of things to be terrified of. While there are 2-3 “official” tornadoes every year in Washington, many people would not even recognize them as such.

The tornadoes that do occur are generally classified as an EF-0 or (rarely) an EF-1. According to the National Weather Service, if you experience an EF-0 you can expect gusts of wind up to 72mph which can damage chimneys, break branches off of trees, damage sign boards, etc.

In other words, it’s just a really bad windstorm.

The Washington coast is quite safe from tornadoes as the majority of them tend to form in the eastern part of the state. However, the worst tornado to ever hit Washington (in recorded history) happened in Vancouver, Washington in 1972. It was rated as an EF-3 (winds up to 206mph) and injured over 300 people.

So, while the chances of a serious problem are slight, if you live in the PNW long enough you’ll probably come in contact with a tornado of some variety.

The Most Common Natural Disasters In Washington State

Hopefully, I’ve been able to lay some of your fears to rest in regard to earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes in Washington State.

So let’s talk about some of the three things that you should be fearing instead.

Floods

Significant flooding occurs in Washington nearly every year and “severe” flooding (according to the US Geological Survey) happens about every 5 years.

The area most affected by floods tend to be clustered together in areas that are receiving far more rain than normal. As the coastal areas (such as Seattle) typically get large amounts of rain it is unusual for those areas to flood.

Wildfires

Wildfire smoke in Seattle, Washington

Wildfires have been a major concern in Washington state recently with more than 1,000 uncontrolled wildfires occurring every year. And it’s not just the areas that have actual flames that are in trouble.

Seattle and the entire coast spend several months of the summer covered in a haze of smoke from wildfires throughout the state of Washington as well as Oregon and Idaho.

Landslides

Road closure due to landslide

Landslides are commonplace in areas that are having severe flooding. Every year there are several large landslides in Washington although many of these take place well away from civilization.

So, while landslides are a major destructive force in Washington, they are rarely dangerous for those living in cities.

The above three are in addition to normal “storms” of varying severity that Washington state experiences throughout the year.

Conclusion

So while you don’t have to worry about hurricanes (which is a load off my mind) there are still plenty of other ways that Mother Nature can wipe you off the face of the earth in Washington.

Oh, and we didn’t even mention the PNW’s 10 active volcanoes which have the potential to obliterate the entire state at some future point.