DisasterAWARE
5
High

tornado Tornado Risk in Seattle, WA

Risk Level: High — Score 5/10

FEMA: 5Historical: 2

Live Tornado alert status near Seattle

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Live tornado map around Seattle

Shows tornado warnings and events that are active right now, refreshed through the day. When none are active, the map is empty by design.

Key Risk Factors

  • Moderate risk rating based on FEMA National Risk Index
  • Estimated annual loss of $4M from this hazard type
  • 2 tornadoes within 50 km since January 2015 (1 rated EF2 or stronger; 2026 figures provisional)
  • Strongest within 50 km: EF2 on December 18, 2018

Peak season: April-June

Last significant event: EF2 tornado on December 18, 2018, closest point 23 km from the city centre (no deaths or injuries recorded)

Highest Risk Cities for Tornados

1
FEMA: 9Historical: 10
2
FEMA: 9Historical: 9
3
FEMA: 9Historical: 7
4
FEMA: 9Historical: 8
5
FEMA: 9Historical: 7
6
FEMA: 9Historical: 9
7
FEMA: 9Historical: 9
8
FEMA: 9Historical: 10
9
FEMA: 9Historical: 6
10
FEMA: 9Historical: 10
Seattle is not in the top 10 for tornado risk among tracked cities.

How Seattle Compares

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Strongest Tornadoes Near Seattle

2 tornadoes touched down within 50 km of Seattle between January 2015 and September 30, 2026 (1 rated EF2 or stronger), according to NWS and SPC tornado records. 2026 figures are provisional until SPC publishes its final 2026 tornado file, and September 2026 is preliminary while NWS damage surveys are completed. The 2 strongest are listed below; distances run from the city centre to the closest point of each tornado's path (start to end point).

EF2 tornado, 1.4-mile path, closest point 23 km from the Seattle city centre

December 18, 2018 — EF2

No deaths or injuries recorded

EF1 tornado, 4.1-mile path, closest point 36 km from the Seattle city centre

January 18, 2015 — EF1

No deaths or injuries recorded

Tornado Preparedness Tips

  • 1.Identify a safe room or storm shelter in your home or building
  • 2.Practice tornado drills — get low, cover your head, stay away from windows
  • 3.Have a NOAA Weather Radio for tornado watch and warning alerts
  • 4.Secure outdoor objects that could become projectiles in high winds
  • 5.Know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning

Related Pages

How this data is built

Seattle, WA tornado risk combines Historical Event Intelligence with authoritative hazard modeling from the Geospatial Intelligence Layers catalog. Live tornado monitoring is available through the Event Intelligence API and the DisasterAWARE Platform.

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The data behind this page

Every score and event here comes from DisasterAWARE's hazard database — available as downloadable historical datasets and a real-time API.

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