Tornado Risk in Washington, DC
Risk Level: Very High — Score 7/10
Live Tornado alert status near Washington
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Live tornado map around Washington
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
- FEMA rates Washington's county as Relatively High risk
- Estimated annual loss of $7M from this hazard type
- 32 tornadoes within 50 km since January 2015 (1 rated EF2 or stronger, 1 unrated; 2026 figures provisional)
- 1 tornado within 50 km in the 12 months to Sep 30, 2026 (2026 figures provisional)
- Strongest within 50 km: EF2 on September 1, 2021
Peak season: April-June
Last significant event: EF2 tornado on September 1, 2021, closest point 39 km from the city centre (no deaths or injuries recorded)
Highest Risk Cities for Tornados
How Washington Compares
Strongest Tornadoes Near Washington
32 tornadoes touched down within 50 km of Washington between January 2015 and September 30, 2026 (1 rated EF2 or stronger, 1 unrated), 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 5 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, 11.4-mile path, closest point 39 km from the Washington city centre
September 1, 2021 — EF2
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF1 tornado, 15.2-mile path, closest point 27 km from the Washington city centre
June 5, 2024 — EF1
5 injuries
EF1 tornado, 5.5-mile path, closest point 34 km from the Washington city centre
May 23, 2019 — EF1
1 injury
EF1 tornado, 8.8-mile path, closest point 37 km from the Washington city centre
June 5, 2024 — EF1
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF1 tornado, 8.4-mile path, closest point 35 km from the Washington city centre
February 25, 2017 — 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
Washington, DC 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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