Multnomah County, Oregon

What hazards hit Multnomah County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 223 since 1996. 59% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. 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 Multnomah County had?

NOAA records 6 tornadoes in Multnomah County from 1972 to 2019, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 1st 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 Multnomah County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 6, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 6 people, 0 of them in Multnomah County.

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 Multnomah County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 13, 2026 excessive heat (1 death).

An early season heat event resulted in one direct fatality on June 15th as reported by local emergency mangers. Max temperatures were around 91 on June 13, 94 on June 14, and 97 on June 15 for the Portland metro area. Maximum Temperature records were set for Portland on 14 and 15th. Overnight lows were slow to cool on 14 and 15 for limited nighttime relief of cold temperatures. Major Heat Risk was forecast for Metro area during this time period.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1360833)

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 Multnomah 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?

59% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Multnomah County

FEMA's register lists 12 declarations that include Multnomah County: 9 major disasters, 2 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (4) and flood (3).

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 Multnomah County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 27 flood or flash flood records for Multnomah County from 1996 to 2022, on 23 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Multnomah County ranks 670th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.6 million on 348 claims filed in Multnomah County; the most in one year was 132 in 1996. 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 Multnomah County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Multnomah County Relatively High overall, with an expected annual loss of $440 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 Multnomah County

1. Clackamas County 875
2. Hood River County 746
3. Washington County 577
4. Multnomah County 521
5. Columbia County 412
6. Skamania County, WA 403
7. Clark County, WA 371

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 Multnomah CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Multnomah County's FEMA declarations (CSV)12 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis