Deschutes County, Oregon
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 41017 · population 197,964 · 3,018 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 578 records for Deschutes County, Oregon from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 371 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (175 records). 328 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the June 27, 2021 excessive heat, filed for the forecast zone Central Oregon, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1964, 18 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Akawa Butte Fire” on July 23, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 578on 371 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 98 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $22Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 6strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 20latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Deschutes County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 175 since 2000. 54% of its winter storm records since 2000 fell in December and January. The rank column places the county among Oregon's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 175 | 136 | 2000-2026 | 1 | 0 | $1.8M | 23 of 36 |
| Hail | 161 | 75 | 1982-2025 | 0 | 1 | $14M | 1 of 36 |
| High wind and dust storms | 63 | 49 | 1999-2022 | 3 | 0 | $709K | 29 of 36 |
| Wildfires | 59 | 51 | 1997-2020 | 1 | 2 | $346K | 12 of 36 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 29 | 25 | 1969-2025 | 0 | 0 | $371K | 8 of 36 |
| Lightning | 21 | 18 | 1997-2019 | 0 | 2 | $3.2M | 3 of 36 |
| Extreme cold | 19 | 11 | 2002-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 28 of 36 |
| Floods | 15 | 15 | 1997-2021 | 0 | 0 | $1.6M | 23 of 36 |
| Heat | 13 | 9 | 2002-2022 | 2 | 0 | – | 28 of 36 |
| Heavy rain | 11 | 11 | 1997-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 of 36 |
| Tornadoes | 6 | 6 | 1983-2017 | 0 | 0 | $67K | 15 of 36 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 3 | 3 | 2005-2014 | 2 | 3 | – | 19 of 36 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 3 | 3 | 2003-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 of 36 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Deschutes County had?
NOAA records 6 tornadoes in Deschutes County from 1983 to 2017, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 15th of 36 Oregon counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 6 tornadoes whose track touched Deschutes County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 6, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oregon.
Every tornado record filed for Deschutes County (6)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-13 | Bend, Deschutes County | EF0 0.07 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-09-25 | Brothers, Deschutes County | F0 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-05-23 | Brothers, Deschutes County | F0 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-09-03 | Tumalo, Deschutes County | F0 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1989-08-22 | Deschutes County | F1 1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1983-06-22 | Deschutes County | F0 0.1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Deschutes County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 27, 2021 excessive heat (2 deaths).
Calculated heat risk values at a GHCN in Bend, OR and at the Redmond Airport recorded several consecutive days between June 27th through June 30th of temperatures that met or exceeded excessive heat warning criteria. Many locations, including those of RAWS and NWS sites recorded multiple days of daily high temperatures over 105 degrees. In the Bend, OR area on June 28th, two fatalities reported were attributed to the excessive heat.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 968866)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-14 | Heavy SnowDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | Heavy SnowDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-08 | Heavy SnowDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-06 | Heavy SnowDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindBend, Deschutes County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindRound Mountain, Deschutes County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-03 | HailBend, Deschutes County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-16 | Heavy SnowCrook County and 2 more · forecast zone Central Oregon | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-14 | Heavy SnowDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-15 | Heavy SnowDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-13 | Heavy SnowCrook County and 2 more · forecast zone Central Oregon | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-12 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCrook County and 4 more · forecast zone Ochoco-John Day Highlands | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-06-27 | Excessive HeatCrook County and 2 more · forecast zone Central Oregon Calculated heat risk values at a GHCN in Bend, OR and at the Redmond Airport recorded several consecutive days between June 27th through June 30th of temperatures that met or exceeded excessive heat warning criteria. Many locations, including those of RAWS and NWS sites recorded multiple days of daily high ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-12-15 | High WindCrook County and Deschutes County · forecast zone Central Oregon A 57 foot tall Ponderosa pine tree was blown down by the wind onto a mobile home in Bend, killing two people in their sleep. Two additional homes and a motor vehicle were also damaged by the winds. Over 1,500 customers were left without power due to high winds blowing trees onto power lines and poles themselves being ... | 61 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 2013-08-01 | WildfireDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades Lightning sparked a fire about 14 miles north of Sisters OR on August 1st. A local news reports that 1 firefighter was killed and 2 were injured while working on the fire. The fire has grown to roughly 500 acres or 0.78 square miles. The injuries occurred as the tree fallers worked to suppress the fire. One ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2014-03-30 | AvalancheDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades A call came in at 3:30 P.M. to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reporting that an avalanche with a width of 200 yards and a length of about 100 yards had buried a man and his snowmobile. The depth of the debris field was about 3 to 5 feet. Search and Rescue crews located him around 5:50 P.M. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2020-09-07 | High WindCrook County and 4 more · forecast zone Ochoco-John Day Highlands Tree fell on individual in the Ochoco National Forest. | 52 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2010-01-02 | AvalancheCrook County and Deschutes County · forecast zone Central Oregon An avalanche, 200 feet wide, buried and killed a snowmobiler from La Pine, Oregon on Paulina Peak which is south of Bend. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2000-01-10 | Heavy SnowCrook County and Deschutes County · forecast zone Central Oregon 11 inches of new snow fell in La Pine at an elevation of 4200 ft in Deschutes County. Sisters received 9 inches and Sunriver had 6 inches. Mt. Bachelor recorded 29 inches of snow in 24 hours. This storm led to a fatality when icy roads caused a collision between a car and a logging truck on Highway 26 at the Ochoco ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-05-22 | AvalancheCrook County and Deschutes County · forecast zone Central Oregon An avalanche was triggered on Thayer Glacier on North Sister, or 14 miles southwest of the city of Sisters. Two climbers were caught in the avalanche and were seriously injured. Two blackhawk helicopters from the Oregon National Guard airlifted the injured climbers off the mountain. | 0 | 2 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-06-12 | HailBend, Deschutes County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $10M |
| 1998-07-09 | HailBend, Deschutes County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $3.6M |
| 1997-06-29 | LightningBend, Deschutes County | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2019-02-23 | Heavy SnowCrook County and 2 more · forecast zone Central Oregon | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 2005-12-30 | FloodCrook County and Deschutes County · forecast zone Central Oregon | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | |
| 1998-07-29 | Thunderstorm WindRedmond, Deschutes County | 0 | 0 | $362K | |
| 2019-05-08 | WildfireDeschutes County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | $346K | |
| 2004-08-04 | LightningBend, Deschutes County | 0 | 1 | $2K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 22, 1989 (tornado, Deschutes County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Deschutes County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 48 | 73 | 54 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 67 | 49 | 17 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 23 | 34 | 4 |
| Wildfires | – | – | – | – | 1 | 10 | 44 z | 4 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 4 |
| Lightning | – | – | – | – | 7 | 8 | 6 | 0 |
Wildfires in the 2010s: 44 records against 10 in the decade before, 44 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Deschutes County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
54% of its winter storm records since 2000 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 45 · Feb 46 · Mar 19 · Apr 19 · May 41 · Jun 54 · Jul 78 · Aug 116 · Sep 29 · Oct 10 · Nov 38 · Dec 83 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Deschutes County
FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Deschutes County: 6 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 11 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (12) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-23 | FM-5647 | Fire | Akawa Butte Fire |
| 2025-08-23 | FM-5610 | Fire | Flat Fire |
| 2024-08-02 | FM-5527 | Fire | Mile Marker 132 Fire |
| 2024-06-25 | FM-5500 | Fire | Darlene 3 Fire |
| 2021-06-30 | FM-5394 | Fire | 0419 Fire |
| 2020-09-15 | DR-4562 | Fire | Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2020-03-28 | DR-4499 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3429 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-08-17 | FM-5196 | Fire | Milli 0843 Cs Fire |
| 2017-08-08 | DR-4328 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2014-06-08 | FM-5056 | Fire | Two Bulls Fire |
| 2007-09-03 | FM-2727 | Fire | Gw Fire |
| 2006-07-27 | FM-2659 | Fire | Black Crater Fire |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3228 | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-02-19 | DR-1510 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2003-08-20 | FM-2493 | Fire | Or-Booth Fire-8-19-2003 |
| 2002-07-29 | FM-2455 | Fire | Or - Cache Mountain Fire - 07/28/02 |
| 1996-02-09 | DR-1099 | Flood | High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1977-04-29 | EM-3039 | Drought | Drought |
| 1964-12-24 | DR-184 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Deschutes County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 15 flood or flash flood records for Deschutes County from 1997 to 2021, on 15 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Deschutes County ranks 2075th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $186,000 on 21 claims filed in Deschutes County; the most in one year was 3 in 1993. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1980: 1 · 1983: 1 · 1993: 3 · 1997: 2 · 1999: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2005: 1 · 2007: 2 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 2 · 2012: 2 · 2014: 3; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Deschutes County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Deschutes County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $66.1 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | $13M | once in about 289 years (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively High | $1.9M | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.2M | 14 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $371K | 20 a year (modeled) |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Moderate | $554K | once in about 667 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $42M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.0M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.2M | once in about 7 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Deschutes County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in OregonEvery Oregon tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in OregonThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Oregon recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Deschutes CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Deschutes County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis