Cowlitz County, WA Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by volcanic activity. 80 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $88.25M
- Relatively Moderate nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 80
- Most often flood
- Flood insurance policies
- 839
- 2.0% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 90.3 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Low
Score 36.2 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively Moderate
Score 59.5 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $24.83B · Agriculture value exposed: $24.42M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $90.06M
Risk by hazard
- Volcanic activityRelatively High$7.58M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 81 years
- EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$39.04M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 57 years
- Heat waveRelatively Moderate$3.51M/yr expected annual loss, about 5.0 events a year
- LandslideRelatively Low$26.01K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.3 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively Moderate$3.36M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
- WildfireVery Low$93.77K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 14,274 years
- Coastal floodingRelatively Low$152K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.6 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively Low$64.7K/yr expected annual loss, about 21 events a year
- Strong windRelatively Low$400K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 25 years
- Ice stormRelatively Low$35.15K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
- AvalancheVery Low$56/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
- LightningVery Low$80.26K/yr expected annual loss, about 6.1 events a year
- TornadoVery Low$252K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 11 years
- HailVery Low$42.79K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 20 years
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: drought, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 839 of 42,703 (2.0%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 1,716
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 529 (31%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 684
- Claims paid since 1978
- $14.93M
Flood claims paid per year
- Flooding$3.44M · 170 claims
- Mt. St. Helens Eruption$3.4M · 150 claims
- Torrential rain$400K · 13 claims
- 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver$248K · 8 claims
- Winter storm$24.26K · 5 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 80 events, 2 deaths, $256M in damage
- Flood27
- Heavy Rain16
- Heavy Snow16
- High Wind6
- Tornado3
- Hail3 · 1 death
- Thunderstorm Wind3
- Debris Flow2
- Frost/Freeze1
- Lightning1
Events per year
5 tornadoes on record (EF0 1, EF1 1, F0 2, F1 1).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Flood09/18/2020
Longview, Cowlitz County
$250M damage
What happened
Widespread street flooding in Longview resulting in several businesses in the downtown area experiencing flooding. The first floor of the local Hospital also flooded due to heavy rain. Several videos received from the emergency manager and also noted from broadcast media reports.
- Avalanche03/30/2024
South Washington Cascades
1 death
What happened
Time of incident unknown, but it was daylight when the incident occurred so used sunrise to sunset times.
- Hail0.25" hail05/19/2022
Lexington, Cowlitz County
1 death
What happened
Washington State Patrol reported all lanes of I5 closed around exit 42 due to traffic accidents attributed to hail accumulating on pavement. Three to five vehicles involved in accidents. There was one fatality and one injury. Note: Hail size estimated from other reports in the region.
- Heavy Snow02/13/2025
Cowlitz County Lowlands
6 injured, $44K damage
What happened
A trained spotter measured 3.5 inches of snow at 1800 2/13 with local storm reports indicating 2-3.5 inches of snowfall across the forecast zone. Additionally, due to the snow there was a 22 vehicle collision, involving multiple commercial vehicles & passenger cars in Lewis & Cowlitz Counties. 6 people were transported to 3 area hospitals.
- Heavy Rain05/27/2004
Woodland, Cowlitz County
4 injured
What happened
Heavy rain may have contributed to an 11 vehicle pile-up on Interstate 5 just south of Woodland. Northbound traffic lanes were blocked for 45 minutes. Visibility was reduced to 50 feet according to the Washington State Patrol. Four were injured and taken to the hospital, but none of the injuries were serious.
- Flood12/09/2015
Kelso, Cowlitz County
$2.1M damage
What happened
The Cowlitz River at Kelso exceeded flood stage. Rises of the Kalama River resulted in flood damage of many businesses in Kalama including Motel 6, Remax, and the Burger Bar. Camp Kalama was closed due to flooding of the Kalama River. The I-5 offramp in Longview was closed due to high water.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Heavy Snow01/06/2026
South Washington Cascades
- High Wind52 kt wind11/05/2025
Willapa Hills
- Heavy Snow03/20/2025
South Washington Cascades
- Heavy Snow03/14/2025
South Washington Cascades
- Heavy Snow03/13/2025
South Washington Cascades
- High Wind63 kt wind02/25/2025
Willapa Hills
- Heavy Snow02/25/2025
South Washington Cascades
- Heavy Snow02/15/2025
South Washington Cascades
Drinking water
31 community water systems serve about 115,365 people. Violations since 2021.
2 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 1 system had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Longview Water DepartmentServes 57,617 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
- Kelso City ofServes 15,775 · Groundwater (surface influenced) · Local governmentNo health violations
- Beacon Hill Water & Sewer DistrictServes 11,969 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Woodland City ofServes 10,640 · Groundwater (surface influenced) · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Kalama City ofServes 8,020 · Groundwater (surface influenced) · Local governmentNo health violations
- Castle Rock Municipal WaterServes 4,367 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Toutle Community Regional WaterServes 3,215 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
- Carrolls Water AssnServes 449 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Longview, 15 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 80°F in Aug and winter lows bottom out near 35°F in Feb. About 48.1 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°F | 35°F | 6.53 in |
| Feb | 52°F | 35°F | 4.81 in |
| Mar | 57°F | 38°F | 4.91 in |
| Apr | 62°F | 40°F | 4.08 in |
| May | 69°F | 45°F | 3.11 in |
| Jun | 73°F | 50°F | 2.03 in |
| Jul | 79°F | 53°F | 0.63 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 53°F | 0.97 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 50°F | 2.29 in |
| Oct | 64°F | 44°F | 4.38 in |
| Nov | 53°F | 39°F | 7.24 in |
| Dec | 47°F | 35°F | 7.14 in |
| Year | 53°F average | 48.1 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 17 toxic release facilities in Cowlitz County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- Westrock Longview LLC1.1 million lbs released, Longview
- Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.755,076 lbs released, Longview
- North Pacific Paper Co LLC Longview279,538 lbs released, Longview
- Skyline Steel Llc-Longview25,851 lbs released, Longview
- Lanxess Corp Kalama Site25,323 lbs released, Kalama
- Westlake US 2 LLC - Longview9,851 lbs released, Longview
- Steelscape2,671 lbs released, Kalama
- Glacier Northwest Inc Longview Ready-Mix Plant988 lbs released, Longview
- Foster Poultry Farms Kelso Plant885 lbs released, Kelso
- Glacier Northwest Inc Woodland Ready-Mix Plant113 lbs released, Woodland
Total: 2.2 million lbs in 2024, 1.7 million lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk27 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Cowlitz County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Cowlitz County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $88.25M a year. The highest-rated hazards are volcanic activity (relatively high), earthquake (relatively moderate), heat wave (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in Cowlitz County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 80 storm events affecting Cowlitz County, most often flood (27), heavy rain (16), heavy snow (16).
- How many tornadoes have hit Cowlitz County?
- 5 tornadoes have been recorded in Cowlitz County since 1950.
- How many homes in Cowlitz County have flood insurance?
- 839 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Cowlitz County, covering about 2.0% of homes. The program has paid $14.93M on 684 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Cowlitz County?
- At Longview, average highs reach 80°F in Aug and lows fall to 35°F in Feb, with 48.1 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.