Washington, 1997

Tornadoes and Hail in Washington, July 5 to 21, 1997

July 5 to 21, 1997 · NWS OTX · 13 events in 5 counties and zones

6 hail, 4 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$120,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Spokane radar (KOTX), 180 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 hail, 4 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Okanogan

When
July 5, 4:30 PM PST
Where
Okanogan County, 15 mi SW of Tonasket
Measured
1.25 in hail
Property damage
$40,000
Coordinates
48.550, -119.670

1 1/4 inch hail and 70 mph wind from newspaper reports. Boats damaged and vehicles overturned at Lake Conconully

Hail, Ferry

When
July 5, 5:40 PM PST
Where
Ferry County, Republic
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
48.650, -118.750

Newspaper reported 3/4 inch hail. Power outages on west side of town

Thunderstorm Wind, Ferry

When
July 5, 5:55 PM PST
Where
Ferry County, Republic
Measured
80 kt (92 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
48.650, -118.750

Newspaper reported 80 mph wind. Trees down (aprox. 20) and power outages

Lightning, Stevens

When
July 5, 7:00 PM PST
Where
Stevens County, Kettle Falls
Coordinates
48.399, -117.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning damage to a power transformer. All power to town is out

Hail, Whitman

When
July 21, 2:20 PM PST
Where
Whitman County, Pullman
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
46.730, -117.180

3/4 inch hail reported by sheriff's office

Hail, Spokane

When
July 21, 2:45 PM PST
Where
Spokane County, Spokane
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
47.670, -117.420

3/4 inch hail reported by a spotter

Hail, Spokane

When
July 21, 2:50 PM PST
Where
Spokane County, Deer Park
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
47.950, -117.470

1 inch hail reported by a radio station

Tornado, Okanogan

When
July 21, 3:15 PM PST to 3:25 PM PST
Where
Okanogan County, Nespelem
Rating
F1
Path length
5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
48.170, -12.420

NWS Storm survey confirmed tornado in Nespelem area. Path of tornado was not continuous

Tornado, Okanogan

When
July 21, 3:15 PM PST to 3:25 PM PST
Where
Okanogan County, Nespelem
Rating
F1
Path length
5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
48.170, -12.420

NWS Storm survey confirmed second tornoado in Nespelem area. Path was not continuous

Tornado, Stevens

When
July 21, 3:55 PM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where
Stevens County, Kettle Falls
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
48.600, -118.050

NWS Storm survey confirmed tornado in Kettle Falls. Path was not continuous

Tornado, Stevens

When
July 21, 3:55 PM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where
Stevens County, Kettle Falls
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
48.600, -118.050

NWS Storm survey confirmed second tornado in Kettle Falls

Thunderstorm Wind, Stevens

When
July 21, 4:00 PM PST
Where
Stevens County, Marcus
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
48.670, -118.070

Roof lifted off house. Numerous telephone poles down

Hail, Spokane

When
July 21, 6:30 PM PST
Where
Spokane County, Cheney
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
47.500, -117.570

1 inch hail reported by a spotter

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Washington in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Washington, 1997Warnings in Washington, July 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5606534, 5606530, 5606531, 5606533, 5606605, 5606606, 5606607, 5606609, 5606610, 5606611, 5606612, 5606613, 5606608.