Tornado History Map

District of Columbia tornado history

7 tornadoes recorded in District of Columbia from 1995 to 2021, drawn on the map and coloured by rating.

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Years1950 to 2025
Rating (F or EF scale)

Shows tornadoes that started in, or crossed, the chosen state. To see how many have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • F0 / EF0 Light damage
  • F1 / EF1 Moderate damage
  • F2 / EF2 Considerable damage
  • F3 / EF3 Severe damage
  • F4 / EF4 Devastating damage
  • F5 / EF5 Incredible damage
  • Unknown Not rated (2007 onwards)

How to read the lines. Each line is one tornado, drawn from where it started to where it ended, coloured and sized by its rating. A dot means the record has no end point. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see how many tornadoes have passed nearby. Weaker tornadoes appear as you zoom in. Ratings use the Fujita (F) scale before 1 February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale from then on.

Tornadoes in District of Columbia

The Storm Prediction Center records 7 tornadoes that touched District of Columbia between 1995 and 2021, and 3 of them began there. A tornado that crossed a state line counts in every state it touched. They killed 2 people and injured 58. The busiest month is April, with 2 tornadoes.

  • 7tornadoes
  • 2deaths
  • 58injuries
  • 1,145per 10,000 sq mi of land
  • 1county touched

Tornadoes per 10,000 square miles lets you compare states of different sizes. It counts every tornado that touched the state.

How strong were District of Columbia's tornadoes?

RatingTornadoesShare
F0 / EF0457%
F1 / EF1229%
F2 / EF200%
F3 / EF3114%
F4 / EF400%
F5 / EF500%
Unknown rating00%

District of Columbia tornadoes over time

Tornadoes by decade
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 2 in 2000s.1990s12000s22010s22020s2

The 2020s only run to 2021, so that bar is for a shorter period. The record starts in 1995.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1990s1
2000s2
2010s2
2020s2

The record has changed over the decades as detection and reporting improved, so more weak tornadoes show up in recent years than in the 1950s. The year with the most in District of Columbia was 2001, with 2.

Tornadoes by month
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 2 in Apr.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr2May1Jun0Jul2Aug0Sep2Oct0Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr2
May1
Jun0
Jul2
Aug0
Sep2
Oct0
Nov0
Dec0

Deadliest tornadoes that touched District of Columbia

Strongest tornadoes that touched District of Columbia

  • Washington, District of Columbia tornado24 September 2001, F3, 2 deaths, 55 injuries, 17.5 miles long
  • Virginia tornado24 September 2001, F1, 2 injuries, 14 miles long
  • Virginia tornado1 July 2021, EF1, 4.3 miles long
  • Virginia tornado6 April 2017, EF0, 4.9 miles long
  • District of Columbia tornado6 April 2017, EF0, 1 injury, 1.6 miles long
  • District of Columbia tornado1 July 2021, EF0, 1 miles long

Most recent tornadoes in District of Columbia

  • District of Columbia tornado1 July 2021, EF0, 1 miles long
  • Virginia tornado1 July 2021, EF1, 4.3 miles long
  • District of Columbia tornado6 April 2017, EF0, 1 injury, 1.6 miles long
  • Virginia tornado6 April 2017, EF0, 4.9 miles long
  • Washington, District of Columbia tornado24 September 2001, F3, 2 deaths, 55 injuries, 17.5 miles long

Notable District of Columbia tornadoes with their own pages

Many of these tornadoes killed or injured people. The numbers are the official record's, and they may be revised.

District of Columbia counties

Every county that a tornado has touched is listed, most tornadoes first. 1 of them have at least 3 tornadoes and their own page.

CountyTornadoesStrongest
District of Columbia7F/EF3

Other states

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