2022 in Washington (state)

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See also:	History of Washington (state) Historical outline of Washington (state) List of years in Washington (state) 2022 in the United States

The following is a list of events of the year 2022 in the U.S. state of Washington.

Washington set several weather records in 2022. Seattle experienced its driest summer on record.^[1] In September and October, air quality was low in parts of the state due to smoke from wildfires in Washington and Oregon, and was the worst in the world on September 10.^[2][3] Later, due to a winter storm, the state experienced record-setting water levels in December, with four locations setting new all-time highs.^[4]

In 2022, Washington saw a spike in violent crime and set a state record with 394 murders within the year. However, when adjusted to be proportionate to the population of the state, the murder rate was lower in 2022 than it was in 1994.^[5]

Incumbents

State government

• Governor: Jay Inslee (D)

Deaths

• August 12 – Dorli Rainey, Seattle-area political activist^[6]

Events

January – June

• January 1 – The state's minimum wage rises to $14.49 per hour.^[7]

• March 27 – Seattle's Dacha Diner closes.^[8]

July – August

• July 22 – Bellator 283: Lima vs. Jackson is held in Tacoma.^[9]

September

• September 4 – A passenger flight crashes into Mutiny Bay, killing all 10 people on board.^[10]
• September 5 – The Washington State Fair begins in Puyallup.^[11]
• September 10 – The air quality in parts of Washington is listed as the worst in the world due to wildfire smoke.^[2]
• September 21 – The state ceases regular reporting of COVID-19 infection data.^[12]
• September 25 – The Washington State Fair ends.^[11]
• September 26 – Amtrak relaunches service between Seattle and Vancouver B.C., about two years after it shut down service due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[13]

October – December

• October 9 – The Nakia Creek Fire begins. ^[14]
• October 29 – A federal judge finds that the City of Everett's dress code is unconstitutional, ruling that baristas have the right to wear bikinis in the state.^[15]
• October 31 – Governor Jay Inslee declares an end to the state's COVID-19 public health emergency.^[16]
• November 29 – ʔálʔal Café opens at Pioneer Square, Seattle.^[17]
• December 25 – An estimated 14,000 people in Southwest Washington lose power due to vandalism at three substations in the area.^[18]

See also

• 2022 in Canada
• 2022 in the United States
  • 2022 in California
  • 2022 in Idaho
  • 2022 in Oregon

References

1. "Summer 2022 is one for the record books in Seattle". king5.com. September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
2. "Seattle's air quality is worst among major cities in the world". king5.com. September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
3. "2022 was a record-breaking year for weather in western Washington". king5.com. January 2, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
4. "December 2022 water levels break eight historical records". NOAA. January 19, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
5. "Washington reported nearly 400 murders in 2022, setting an all-time high". king5.com. July 10, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
6. "Photo of her pepper-sprayed resolve came to symbolize Occupy movement; Dorli Rainey has died at 95". The Oregonian. August 21, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
7. "Washington minimum wage to $14.49 for 2022". Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
8. "Capitol Hill's Jewish and Eastern European-flavored Dacha Diner to close". CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News. March 18, 2022. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
9. King, Nolan. "Bellator 283 salaries: Jason Jackson pockets $191,000 for win over Douglas Lima". MMA Junkie. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
10. Pietsch, Bryan (September 5, 2022). "Puget Sound plane crash kills at least 1, with 9 missing; Coast Guard suspends search". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
11. "2022 Washington State Fair: What to do, where to eat and what to watch". king5.com. August 31, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
12. "Washington - COVID-19 Overview". Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
13. "Amtrak relaunches service from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C." Associated Press. September 1, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2025 – via FOX 13 Seattle.
14. Salahieh, Nouran (October 17, 2022). "Nakia Creek Fire explodes amid powerful winds, forcing thousands of evacuations in Washington state". CNN. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
15. "Baristas have constitutional right to wear bikinis in Washington state, federal court finds". The Oregonian. October 29, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
16. "Washington state announces end of state COVID-19 public health emergency; Here's what's changed". Regence Newsroom. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
17. "New cafe creates cultural, culinary hub for Native Seattleites". The Seattle Times. December 1, 2022. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
18. "Vandalism at 3 NW substations cut power to 14k on Christmas Day". The Oregonian. December 26, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2025.

External links

• Media related to 2022 in Washington (state) at Wikimedia Commons
• 2022 Census in Washington – via the USDA
• 2022 Washington Vintage Overview – report on Washington wine production in 2022
• 2022 State of Salmon report highlights