Josephine County, Oregon
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 41033 · population 88,032 · 1,639 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 508 records for Josephine County, Oregon from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 405 days; the most frequent are extreme cold records (131 records). 439 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 August 17, 2022 wildfire, filed for the forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 25 declarations naming the county since 1964, 23 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Fielder Mountain Fire” on August 14, 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
- 508on 405 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 33 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $8.1Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 25latest 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 Josephine County most?
The most frequent records are extreme cold records: 131 since 1999. 47% of its extreme cold records since 1999 fell in April and May. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme cold | 131 | 127 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 36 |
| Winter storms | 131 | 91 | 1999-2026 | 1 | 1 | – | 17 of 36 |
| Wildfires | 92 | 70 | 1999-2025 | 1 | 0 | $1.9M | 1 of 36 |
| High wind and dust storms | 85 | 75 | 1999-2024 | 1 | 0 | – | 19 of 36 |
| Floods | 20 | 18 | 1996-2016 | 0 | 0 | $6.0M | 15 of 36 |
| Heat | 19 | 14 | 2017-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 of 36 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 12 | 10 | 1969-2026 | 0 | 2 | $78K | 12 of 36 |
| Hail | 9 | 7 | 1995-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 of 36 |
| Lightning | 5 | 5 | 1998-2007 | 0 | 0 | $85K | 7 of 36 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 1 | 2005-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | 29 of 36 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2022-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 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.
When was the last damaging storm in Josephine County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 3, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindWilderville, Josephine County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindFruitdale, Josephine County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $68K |
| 2026-04-16 | Frost/FreezeCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-03 | Frost/FreezeCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | Winter StormJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | Winter StormCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-06 | Winter StormJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-24 | Winter StormJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-01 | WildfireCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-09-03 | WildfireCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-09-03 | WildfireCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-17 | WildfireCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-08-17 | WildfireCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County The Rum Creek Wildfire was started by lightning around 1700 PST on 08/17/22. As of 0530 PST on 09/01/22, the fire covered 14940 acres and was 1 percent contained. 3 structures were lost, and 14.6 million dollars had been spent on firefighting activities. 1 firefighter was killed by a falling tree on the fire line. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-01-23 | Strong WindJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades An Erickson helicopter pilot was killed when his aircraft crashed in a wooded area near Interstate 5 at an elevation of 4100 feet. The time of the crash is unknown, but it occurred in the morning and the pilot took off from Medford airport at 8:45 PST. Weather conditions at the time included showers, low ceilings, ... | 17 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-01 | Winter WeatherCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County Spotter reports: Selma, 7.0 inches of snow at 02/0743 PST; 1W Williams, 8.5 inches of snow at 02/0842 PST; 5NNW Wilderville, 5.0 inches of snow at 02/0837 PST; 5NNE Selma, 7.0 inches of snow overnight, as of 02/0853 PST; Selma, 7.5 inches of snow at 02/0941 PST; 4W Merlin, 11.0 inches of snow overnight, as of ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindFruitdale, Josephine County A long-lived thunderstorm produced strong winds across the eastern portion of Grants Pass. Damage resulted from a tree falling on a parked pickup truck. Another fallen tree destroyed two mobile homes and injured two occupants. | 60 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $68K |
| 2003-12-29 | Heavy SnowJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades A traveller stranded on northbound I-5 just south of Siskiyou Summit between Oregon milepost 1 and 2 suffered a heart attack and died around this time. The deceased was identified as George Engelhardt, age 72. | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-08-01 | WildfireJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2005-12-26 | FloodCurry County and Josephine County · forecast zone Eastern Curry County & Josephine County | 0 | 0 | $889K | |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindFruitdale, Josephine County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $68K |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindWilderville, Josephine County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
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 Josephine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 3 | 47 | 52 | 29 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 64 | 31 | 35 |
| Wildfires | – | – | – | – | 6 | 23 | 48 | 15 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 7 | 67 z | 10 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 5 | 14 |
High wind and dust storms in the 2010s: 67 records against 7 in the decade before, 67 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 Josephine 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?
47% of its extreme cold records since 1999 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 68 · Feb 50 · Mar 44 · Apr 53 · May 24 · Jun 11 · Jul 27 · Aug 38 · Sep 43 · Oct 61 · Nov 29 · Dec 60 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Josephine County
FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Josephine County: 10 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 12 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (13) and severe storm (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-14 | FM-5670 | Fire | Fielder Mountain Fire |
| 2025-07-22 | DR-4881 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2020-09-15 | DR-4562 | Fire | Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2020-09-10 | FM-5369 | Fire | Slater Fire |
| 2020-03-28 | DR-4499 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3429 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-09-03 | FM-5275 | Fire | Hugo Road Fire |
| 2018-07-19 | FM-5256 | Fire | Garner Fire Complex |
| 2017-08-08 | DR-4328 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2017-01-25 | DR-4296 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding |
| 2016-08-31 | FM-5153 | Fire | Gold Canyon Fire |
| 2015-08-09 | FM-5096 | Fire | Krauss Lane Fire |
| 2013-08-02 | FM-5039 | Fire | Brimstone Fire |
| 2013-07-28 | FM-5037 | Fire | Douglas Fire Complex |
| 2013-07-19 | FM-5036 | Fire | Pacifica Fire |
| 2006-03-20 | DR-1632 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3228 | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-08-25 | FM-2579 | Fire | Deer Creek Fire |
| 2004-08-04 | FM-2539 | Fire | Or-Redwood Highway Wildfire-08-04-2004 |
| 2002-07-28 | FM-2453 | Fire | Or - Biscuit Fire - 07/28/02 |
| 1997-01-23 | DR-1160 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Land and Mudslides, Flooding |
| 1996-02-09 | DR-1099 | Flood | High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1977-04-29 | EM-3039 | Drought | Drought |
| 1974-01-25 | DR-413 | Flood | Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding |
| 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 Josephine County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 20 flood or flash flood records for Josephine County from 1996 to 2016, on 18 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Josephine County ranks 1411th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $688,000 on 81 claims filed in Josephine County; the most in one year was 30 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1981: 5 · 1982: 2 · 1985: 1 · 1990: 1 · 1993: 2 · 1995: 3 · 1996: 5 · 1997: 30 · 1998: 1 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 2 · 2005: 9 · 2006: 2 · 2007: 1 · 2009: 1 · 2015: 6 · 2016: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 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 Josephine County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Josephine County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $70.0 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 | $23M | once in about 59 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $12M | once in about 65 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $32M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.4M | 8 modeled event-days a year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $172K | 21 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $27K | 3.4 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $88K | 6 a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Very Low | $301 | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Josephine County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Extreme cold in OregonThe state's extreme cold 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 Josephine CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Josephine County's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis