United StatesWashingtonNWS, FEMA, USGSArchive to October 13, 2026
Washington: warnings and declarations in 2026
The National Weather Service issued 175 warnings for Washington in 2026 through September, in line with the average of 169 for those months in 2008-2025. The most frequent was the flood warning (63). FEMA has made 11 declarations for Washington this year.
Latest notices in Washington
NWS PendletonWarningOctober 13, 2026
Freeze Warning: Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, Grande Ronde Valley, Wallowa County and 8 more, OR and WA
Expired 9:00 a.m. PDT, October 13, 2026
NWS SpokaneWarningOctober 13, 2026
Freeze Warning: Lewiston Area, Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties, Moses Lake Area and 1 more, ID and WA
Expired 9:00 a.m. PDT, October 13, 2026
NWS PendletonWatchOctober 12, 2026
Freeze Watch: Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon, Foothills of the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon and 5 more, OR and WA
Expired 9:00 a.m. PDT, October 13, 2026
NWS SpokaneWatchOctober 12, 2026
Freeze Watch: Lewiston Area, Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties, Moses Lake Area and 1 more, ID and WA
Expired 9:00 a.m. PDT, October 13, 2026
NWS PendletonWarningOctober 12, 2026
Freeze Warning: Kittitas Valley, WA
Expired 9:00 a.m. PDT, October 12, 2026
NWS PendletonWatchOctober 11, 2026
Freeze Watch: Kittitas Valley, WA
Expired 9:00 a.m. PDT, October 12, 2026
NWS PendletonWarningOctober 10, 2026
Freeze Warning: Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon and Foothills of the Blue Mountains of Washington, OR and WA
Expired 10:00 a.m. PDT, October 11, 2026
Which warnings, watches and advisories does Washington get?
| Product | Yearly average 2008-2025 | 2025 | 2026 through September | Average, same months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather Advisory | 116 | 103 | 51 | 69 |
| Flood Warning | 87 | 118 | 63 | 46 |
| Wind Advisory | 71 | 83 | 42 | 43 |
| Flood Advisory | 52 | 36 | 18 | 43 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 43 | 34 | 15 | 25 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 34 | 13 | 13 | 19 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 33 | 52 | 33 | 15 |
| Red Flag Warning | 31 | 39 | 48 | 30 |
| Flood Watch | 29 | 38 | 23 | 19 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 26 | 8 | 15 | 26 |
| High Wind Warning | 24 | 20 | 6 | 12 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 20 | 25 | 27 | 20 |
| High Wind Watch | 17 | 10 | 2 | 9 |
| Coastal Flood Advisory | 16 | 31 | 13 | 6 |
| High Surf Advisory | 15 | 14 | 4 | 8 |
| Heat Advisory | 12 | 28 | 19 | 12 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 12 | 4 | 8 | 11 |
| Freeze Warning | 10 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Freezing Fog Advisory | 8 | 9 | 8 | 3 |
| Freezing Rain Advisory | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Frost Advisory | 5 | 22 | 21 | 3 |
| Snow Advisory | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Flash Flood Watch | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 4 | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 4 | 9 | 4 | 4 |
| Dust Advisory (since 2018) | 4 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 3 | 21 | 9 | 2 |
| Blowing Dust Advisory | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| High Surf Warning | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Snow Squall Warning (since 2018) | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Dust Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Heavy Snow Warning | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Coastal Flood Warning | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Coastal Flood Watch | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Tornado Warning | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Freeze Watch | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Blizzard Warning | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive of National Weather Service watches, warnings and advisories (VTEC); National Weather Service. Data as of October 13, 2026.
How many warnings does Washington get each year?
Every NWS warning (VTEC significance W) that covered part of Washington. 2026 is drawn as an outline: the year is not over.
The numbers
| Year | Count |
|---|---|
| 2026 (through September) | 179 |
| 2025 | 247 |
| 2024 | 231 |
| 2023 | 208 |
| 2022 | 298 |
| 2021 | 275 |
| 2020 | 237 |
| 2019 | 179 |
| 2018 | 187 |
| 2017 | 307 |
| 2016 | 195 |
| 2015 | 350 |
| 2014 | 297 |
| 2013 | 216 |
| 2012 | 288 |
| 2011 | 246 |
| 2010 | 207 |
| 2009 | 268 |
| 2008 | 284 |
Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive of National Weather Service watches, warnings and advisories (VTEC); National Weather Service. Data as of October 13, 2026.
When in the year?
Sum of 2008-2025; the busiest month is labelled.
Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive of National Weather Service watches, warnings and advisories (VTEC); National Weather Service. Data as of October 13, 2026.
FEMA declarations for Washington in 2026
FEMAEmergencyAugust 3, 2026
EM-3650-WA: Fire, wildfires
9 designated areas
FEMAFire managementAugust 2, 2026
FM-5659-WA: Fire, autumn lane fire
2 designated areas
FEMAFire managementAugust 2, 2026
FM-5658-WA: Fire, fairview fire
1 designated area
FEMAFire managementAugust 1, 2026
FM-5657-WA: Fire, sinlahekin fire
1 designated area
FEMAFire managementAugust 1, 2026
FM-5656-WA: Fire, old trails fire
1 designated area
FEMAFire managementJuly 30, 2026
FM-5653-WA: Fire, modrite fire
2 designated areas
FEMAFire managementJuly 26, 2026
FM-5651-WA: Fire, ransier fire
2 designated areas
FEMAFire managementJuly 26, 2026
FM-5649-WA: Fire, signal peak fire
2 designated areas
FEMAFire managementJuly 17, 2026
FM-5646-WA: Fire, kaiser canyon fire
2 designated areas
FEMAFire managementJune 16, 2026
FM-5638-WA: Fire, upriver fire
1 designated area
FEMAMajor disasterApril 7, 2026
DR-4906-WA: Flood, severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides
49 designated areas
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries. Data as of October 11, 2026.
Recent earthquakes in Washington
USGSM2.6October 6, 2026
M2.6 earthquake, 2 km SW of Ashford, Washington
At 2:02 a.m. UTC, October 6, 2026
USGSM4.2September 29, 2026
M4.2 earthquake, 6 km WNW of Wauna, Washington
At 9:05 p.m. UTC, September 29, 2026
USGSM2.6September 28, 2026
M2.6 earthquake, 23 km N of Trout Lake, Washington
At 12:12 a.m. UTC, September 28, 2026
USGSM2.7September 18, 2026
M2.7 earthquake, 25 km ENE of Yacolt, Washington
At 6:33 p.m. UTC, September 18, 2026
USGSM2.6September 12, 2026
M2.6 earthquake, 2 km E of Mount Vernon, Washington
At 4:17 a.m. UTC, September 12, 2026
Source: U.S. Geological Survey earthquake catalog.
Questions about Washington's warnings
How many weather warnings does Washington get a year?
An average of 251 NWS warnings a year in 2008-2025, and 247 in 2025.
What is the most common warning in Washington?
The flood warning: 87 a year on average in 2008-2025.
Where do the live warnings come from?
From the National Weather Service's alert feed (api.weather.gov), which AreaZine reads every few minutes. For a warning in force now, the NWS office page and NOAA Weather Radio are the first source; phones receive only the most dangerous warnings as Wireless Emergency Alerts.