Klamath County, Oregon
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 41035 · population 69,248 · 5,950 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 838 records for Klamath County, Oregon from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 518 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (260 records). 744 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 December 12, 2020 freezing fog, filed for the forecast zone Klamath Basin, which covers the county: 1 death and 2 injuries. FEMA has issued 18 declarations naming the county since 1964, 16 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Wrights Spring Fire” on August 9, 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
- 838on 518 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 717 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $6.6Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 5strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 18latest 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 Klamath County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 260 since 1999. 58% of its winter storm records since 1999 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 | 260 | 122 | 1999-2026 | 3 | 5 | $66K | 32 of 36 |
| Extreme cold | 231 | 145 | 2000-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 36 |
| High wind and dust storms | 146 | 104 | 1999-2024 | 1 | 0 | – | 28 of 36 |
| Wildfires | 107 | 89 | 1999-2025 | 1 | 0 | $5.6M | 14 of 36 |
| Hail | 33 | 26 | 1961-2020 | 0 | 0 | $2K | 22 of 36 |
| Heat | 19 | 8 | 2017-2024 | 1 | 0 | – | 32 of 36 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 16 | 14 | 1970-2025 | 0 | 0 | $14K | 30 of 36 |
| Floods | 12 | 12 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $705K | 32 of 36 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 5 | 1962-2019 | 0 | 0 | $63K | 20 of 36 |
| Lightning | 4 | 4 | 2002-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | 22 of 36 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 3 | 3 | 1997-2020 | 1 | 12 | $142K | 28 of 36 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 2 | 2 | 2008-2009 | 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.
How many tornadoes has Klamath County had?
NOAA records 5 tornadoes in Klamath County from 1962 to 2019, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. 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 5 tornadoes whose track touched Klamath County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 5, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oregon.
Every tornado record filed for Klamath County (5)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-28 | Sprague River, Klamath County | EF0 0.01 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-04-17 | Keno, Klamath County | EF0 1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-04-17 | Klamath Falls Airport, Klamath County | F0 0.2 mi x 0 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1995-05-30 | Klamath County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $39K |
| 1962-05-19 | Klamath County | F1 0.5 mi x 20 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 Klamath County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 25, 2025 flood ($25,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | Winter StormDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | Winter StormJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | Winter StormDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-06 | Winter StormJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-06 | Winter StormDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-03 | Winter StormDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-25 | Winter StormKlamath County · forecast zone Klamath Basin | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-24 | Winter StormKlamath County and Lake County · forecast zone Northern & Eastern Klamath County & Western Lake County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-24 | Winter StormJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-24 | Winter StormDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-01 | WildfireDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-09-01 | WildfireDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Cascades | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-12-12 | Freezing FogKlamath County · forecast zone Klamath Basin At around 9:10 AM PST on 12/12/20, a pickup truck on Highway 97 just north of the OR/CA border crossed the median and hit a southbound semi-truck. The driver of the pickup was killed, and his passenger and the semi-driver were seriously injured. As traffic backed up behind the scene, six more vehicles crashed and more ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2011-01-02 | Winter WeatherKlamath County and Lake County · forecast zone Northern & Eastern Klamath County & Western Lake County The Salem Statesman Journal reported that a California woman was killed when she lost control of her vehicle on ice and packed snow and collided with another vehicle. No precipitation was occurring at the time. | 1 | 2 | $66K | |
| 2020-12-14 | Winter WeatherKlamath County and Lake County · forecast zone Northern & Eastern Klamath County & Western Lake County The Oregon State Police announced that a 65-year-old Arizona woman died and her 64-year-old husband had been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a crash involving a semi-truck in Klamath County. The incident took place at about 11:00 am and a reported four vehicles were involved. This occurred on US ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2020-11-19 | Winter WeatherKlamath County · forecast zone Klamath Basin A Beatty man died on this date when his vehicle collided with a Klamath County school bus on Highway 140E between Klamath Falls and Bonanza. No children were inside the bus at the time, according to Oregon State Police. David Hauck, 51, was headed westbound about 8:50 a.m. when his Ford Bronco lost control on an icy ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-07-06 | Excessive HeatKlamath County · forecast zone Klamath Basin Persistent high pressure brought excessive heat to the Klamath Basin for 4 consecutive days from July 6th through July 9th, and on July 12th and 13th. Advisory conditions occurred on July 4th and 5th, and on July 10th and 11th. During the excessive heat, low temperatures were generally in the mid 40s to lower 60s, and ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-08-01 | WildfireDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Cascades The Big Swamp Wildfire was started by lightning at 1630 PST on 08/01/22. As of 0530 PST on 09/01/22, the fire covered 110 acres and was 97 percent contained. 0 structures were lost, and 2.1 million dollars had been spent on firefighting efforts. One firefighter was killed by a falling tree. | 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 | – |
| 2007-11-05 | Dense SmokeKlamath County · forecast zone Klamath Basin Fog combined with smoke from agricultural burning caused very restricted visibilities along highway US97 about 10 miles south of Klamath Falls. A jeep rear-ended a car in the fog/smoke at 07:20 AM, and other vehicles collided with them. In all, 30 vehicles were involved, including three tractor-trailers, along a two ... | 0 | 10 | $142K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-01 | WildfireKlamath County and Lake County · forecast zone Northern & Eastern Klamath County & Western Lake County | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 2014-08-01 | WildfireJackson County and 2 more · forecast zone Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2005-12-31 | FloodKlamath County and Lake County · forecast zone Northern & Eastern Klamath County & Western Lake County | 0 | 0 | $680K | |
| 2007-11-05 | Dense SmokeKlamath County · forecast zone Klamath Basin | 0 | 10 | $142K | |
| 2011-01-02 | Winter WeatherKlamath County and Lake County · forecast zone Northern & Eastern Klamath County & Western Lake County | 1 | 2 | $66K | |
| 1995-05-30 | TornadoKlamath County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $39K |
| 2025-02-25 | FloodBly, Klamath County | 0 | 0 | $25K |
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 $3K, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 19, 1962 (tornado, Klamath 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 Klamath 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 | – | – | – | – | 6 | 128 | 50 | 76 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 100 | 109 | 22 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 22 | 106 z | 17 |
| Wildfires | – | – | – | – | 7 | 21 | 32 | 47 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 4 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
High wind and dust storms in the 2010s: 106 records against 22 in the decade before, 106 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 Klamath 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?
58% of its winter storm records since 1999 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 98 · Feb 78 · Mar 41 · Apr 15 · May 28 · Jun 94 · Jul 53 · Aug 77 · Sep 133 · Oct 48 · Nov 50 · Dec 123 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Klamath County
FEMA's register lists 18 declarations that include Klamath County: 5 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 9 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (11) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-09 | FM-5666 | Fire | Wrights Spring Fire |
| 2024-09-02 | FM-5532 | Fire | Copperfield Fire |
| 2023-07-23 | FM-5471 | Fire | Golden Fire |
| 2021-07-10 | FM-5396 | Fire | Bootleg Fire |
| 2020-09-15 | DR-4562 | Fire | Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2020-09-10 | EM-3542 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2020-09-08 | FM-5354 | Fire | Two Four Two Fire |
| 2020-03-28 | DR-4499 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3429 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-08-04 | FM-5195 | Fire | Pipeline Fire |
| 2014-08-01 | FM-5066 | Fire | Oregon Gulch Fire |
| 2014-07-14 | FM-5060 | Fire | Moccasin Hills Fire |
| 2008-09-17 | FM-2787 | Fire | Royce Butte Fire |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3228 | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1997-01-23 | DR-1160 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Land and Mudslides, Flooding |
| 1993-10-15 | DR-1004 | Earthquake | Earthquakes |
| 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 Klamath County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 12 flood or flash flood records for Klamath County from 1996 to 2025, on 12 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Klamath County ranks 2358th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $207,000 on 10 claims filed in Klamath County; the most in one year was 5 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1982: 1 · 1993: 1 · 1997: 5 · 2005: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2017: 1; 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 Klamath County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Klamath County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $32.5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $425K | 26 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $11M | once in about 60 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $2.6M | once in about 175 years (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | $457K | once in about 30 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $15M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.7M | once in about 8 years (modeled) |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | $26K | once in about 278 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $771K | 3.2 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Klamath 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 Klamath CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Klamath County's FEMA declarations (CSV)18 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis