Oregon rip currents and high surf

Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 10 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 205 rip current and surf records in Oregon from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 8.5 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the December 13, 2006 high surf in Curry County: 4 deaths. Oregon ranks 7th of 34 states and territories by count and 13th of 34 per square mile.

Rip currents and high surf in Oregon, 1996 to 2026

Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 2051996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 8.5average
Deaths: 5023 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $13Mas filed
Busiest year: 202423 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are rip current and surf records common in Oregon?

Oregon averages about 8.5 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 7th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (23). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Oregon records 21 rip current and surf records since 1996, 13th of 34 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Oregon have the most rip current and surf records?

Per square mile, Curry County leads Oregon: 81 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 49.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Curry County has the most surf records (143 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Curry County 49.7 (143)
Coos County 44.5 (71)
Clatsop County 35.0 (31)
Lincoln County 31.6 (31)
Tillamook County 25.4 (30)
Douglas County 14.1 (71)
Lane County 6.8 (31)
Columbia County 1.5 (1)
Yamhill County 1.4 (1)
Washington County 1.4 (1)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the surf season in Oregon?

45% of its rip current and surf records since 1996 fell in December and January. The busiest month is January (60 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 60 · Feb 20 · Mar 24 · Apr 9 · May 6 · Jun 4 · Jul 7 · Aug 4 · Sep 2 · Oct 10 · Nov 26 · Dec 33 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest rip current and surf records in Oregon?

Oregon: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2006-12-13	High SurfCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast Three crabbers died when their boat overturned in heavy surf on the Rogue River bar. Conditions were described as rough, but not terribly rough, and the crew voted to go through the bar. No high surf advisories or warnings were in effect when the incident occurred at 16/1540 PST.	4	0	–
2016-01-19	High SurfCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast The 40.1 feet Eagle III commercial crab fishing vessel collided with the Coos Bay north jetty and capsized around 830 pm on 1/19/2016. The vessel had left Charleston, OR but was registered in Port Orford, OR. There were 4 people on board. The captain survived by making it to shore. One male body was found on the Coos ...	3	1	–
2019-01-08	High SurfLane County and Lincoln County · forecast zone Central Oregon Coast Seas were building ahead of a frontal system approaching on Tuesday night. Seas were up around 12 to 14 feet in the Yaquina Bay Bar when the boat the Mary B II tried to cross. Three fisherman died.	3	0	–
2006-05-09	High SurfCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast See below.	3	0	–
2007-07-03	Rip CurrentClatsop County and Tillamook County · forecast zone Northern Oregon Coast One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Three teenage swimmers were swept away from the beach of Cannon Beach, OR by a rip current. Two swimmers were able to escape the current, but one was swept into the sea. Cannon Beach's Surf Rescue Team along with Cannon Bach Life Guards were the first to respond. The Coast Guard was called, and searchers searched ...	2	4	–
2005-11-10	High SurfCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast A "sneaker wave" swept a mother and two sons into the surf near Port Orford. The mother and older son were drowned, the younger son survived and was treated for hypothermia. Surf at the time was heavy, but not heavy enough to qualify for a High Surf Advisory. A High Surf Advisory was later issued on 11/12 as the surf ...	2	1	–
2009-11-18	High SurfLane County and Lincoln County · forecast zone Central Oregon Coast Two fishermen were reported missing late Wednesday night when they did not return from a fishing trip. Coast Guard searched for the men both on land and sea, but the search was called of late Thursday. Both high winds and rough seas were occurring at the time due to an incoming storm.	2	0	–
2008-10-25	High SurfCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast A boy and his uncle were swept into the water by a rogue wave. No warning or advisories were in effect at the time. Buoy 229 offshore reported west to northwest swell with heights of 3.2 to 3.7 meters and a period of 15 to 17 seconds.	2	0	–
2021-10-25	High SurfClatsop County and Tillamook County · forecast zone Northern Oregon Coast A 42 foot Sail boat capsized in rough surf and ran aground at Nedonna Beach (south of Nehalem) resulting in two fatalities.	2	0	$11K
2018-09-09	SneakerwaveLane County and Lincoln County · forecast zone Central Oregon Coast A couple and their young daughter took a trail down to rocks which overlook the ocean. A large wave washed over the rocks and swept the couple off the rocks and into the ocean. Both were taken to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead.	2	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest rip current and surf records in Oregon

Oregon: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2011-03-11	TsunamiCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast	0	0	$9.8M
2005-09-19	Hurricane Katrina · High SurfCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast	0	0	$1.5M
2003-06-14	High SurfClatsop County and Tillamook County · forecast zone Northern Oregon Coast	0	0	$802K
2016-01-26	High SurfCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast	1	0	$615K
2017-01-21	High SurfLane County and Lincoln County · forecast zone Central Oregon Coast	0	1	$193K
2021-10-25	High SurfClatsop County and Tillamook County · forecast zone Northern Oregon Coast	2	0	$11K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Oregon?

Oregon's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Rip currents and high surf: Oregon and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Oregon	United States	Oregon's share
1996-99	0	1,021	0
2000s	28	4,386	0.6%
2010s	80	5,810	1.4%
2020-26	97	2,346	4.1%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent rip current and surf records in Oregon

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Damage
2026-05-27	SneakerwaveCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast	–
2026-05-27	SneakerwaveCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast	–
2026-05-02	SneakerwaveCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast	–
2026-05-02	SneakerwaveCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast	–
2026-02-12	SneakerwaveCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast	–
2026-02-12	SneakerwaveCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast	–
2026-02-05	SneakerwaveCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast	–
2026-02-05	SneakerwaveCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast	–
2026-01-11	SneakerwaveCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast	–
2026-01-11	SneakerwaveCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast	–
2025-12-01	SneakerwaveCurry County · forecast zone Curry County Coast	–
2025-12-01	SneakerwaveCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

Federal disaster declarations for rip current and surf records in Oregon

FEMA has declared 1 disaster in Oregon for rip current and surf, counting its incident type and declarations that name the hazard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 0 were major disasters, the latest on September 7, 2005.

The 12 most recent
Declared	Number	Title	Areas named
2005-09-07	EM-3228	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	36

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.