Tornado in District of Columbia
Every tornado event the National Weather Service has filed in District of Columbia, year by year, with the most significant episodes. 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.
The most significant on the map
The most significant tornado episodes in District of Columbia.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 5
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Damage
- $202,000
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in District of Columbia, July 1, 2021Two rounds of severe thunderstorms produced two tornadoes, hail, and widespread wind damage (some significant) across the DC metro and central Maryland, with spottier wind damage extending into the Baltimore area.
- Tornadoes in District of Columbia, April 6, 2017Cutoff low pressure was over the Ohio Valley. Another area of low pressure strengthened overhead on the occluded boundary. Warm and moist air from the south lead to an unstable atmosphere. Strong shear profiles were in place due to the cutoff low to the west.
- Tornado in District of Columbia, September 24, 2001A rope-like tornado crossed the 14th Street bridge from Arlington into the District early in the evening on the 24th. The F0 tornado skipped along for 2 miles from the bridge to just northeast of the Capitol before it dissipated.
More
Tornado everywhereEvery kind of event in District of Columbia
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.