Seattle, WA Tornado History — 10 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Seattle, WA had?
Seattle has had 10 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 1 violent (EF3+) tornado.
When was the most recent tornado near Seattle?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Seattle was an EF2 on December 18, 2018.
When is tornado season in Seattle?
December is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Seattle, with 3 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Seattle
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 2 total, averaging 0.1 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Have any tornadoes near Seattle been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Seattle from any of the 10 tornadoes since 1950, though 1 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Seattle
About Tornadoes in Seattle
This overview was written April 23, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Seattle, Washington, experiences tornadoes far less frequently than many other parts of the United States, with only 10 documented events within 25 miles of the city since 1950, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. This low frequency reflects the Pacific Northwest's maritime climate, where the atmospheric conditions that spawn tornadoes—particularly the strong wind shear and instability common in the central United States—occur much less often.
The tornadoes that have occurred near Seattle have been predominantly weak, with five rated EF0 and three rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which measures tornado intensity based on damage. However, the area has recorded one EF2 and one EF3 tornado, demonstrating that while rare, stronger tornadoes are possible. Notably, none of the tornadoes on record have resulted in fatalities. The distribution across decades shows sporadic activity, with three events in the 1960s, one in the 1970s, three in the 1990s, one in the 2000s, and two in the 2010s.
Unusually for tornado climatology, December is the peak month for tornado activity near Seattle, with three events recorded in that month. This late-season maximum contrasts sharply with the spring and early summer peak typical of the Great Plains and much of the eastern United States, and likely relates to the region's winter storm systems and occasional atmospheric instability during Pacific frontal passages.
The most significant tornado on record occurred on December 18, 2018, when an EF2 tornado carved a 1.4-mile path with a maximum width of 285 yards, causing $1,180,000 in property damage but no fatalities. This event stands as the costliest, widest, and most recent tornado in the area's records. The longest-tracked tornado was an F0 that traveled 5.2 miles on August 18, 1964, though it caused no reported damage and had a maximum width of only 30 yards.