Lincoln County, Oregon

What hazards hit Lincoln County most?

The most frequent records are high wind and dust records: 499 since 1996. 47% of its high wind and dust records since 1996 fell in November and December. 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.

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 Lincoln County had?

NOAA records 4 tornadoes in Lincoln County from 1984 to 2024, the strongest rated EF0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 8th 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 4 tornadoes whose track touched Lincoln County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 4, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oregon.

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 Lincoln County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the October 19, 2025 sneakerwave (1 death and 1 injury).

A person was walking on the sand near the mouth of Siletz Bay when a sneaker wave knocked them off of their feet and dragged them into the ocean. Once in the water, a strong rip current quickly swept them out to sea. They were swept out far enough that the people on the beach could not see them. The person did not survive, and their body was found on the beach around 4 miles south from where they were swept in. The 3 pm buoy observation from buoy 46050 reported a west swell of 11ft with a 16 second period.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1298751)

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

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 Lincoln 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).

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 high wind and dust records since 1996 fell in November and December. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Lincoln County

FEMA's register lists 24 declarations that include Lincoln County: 20 major disasters, 3 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (11) and flood (5).

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 Lincoln County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 50 flood or flash flood records for Lincoln County from 1996 to 2023, on 36 days, with 8 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lincoln County ranks 539th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $6.3 million on 462 claims filed in Lincoln County; the most in one year was 131 in 1999. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Lincoln County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $59.3 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Lincoln County

1. Lane County 1,115
2. Tillamook County 886
3. Lincoln County 713
4. Polk County 357
5. Benton County 347

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
• High wind and dust storms in OregonThe state's high wind and dust 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 Lincoln CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Lincoln County's FEMA declarations (CSV)24 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis