Oregon heat
Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 33 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 269 heat records in Oregon from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 16 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 26, 2021 excessive heat: 118 deaths and $109,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 7 records. Oregon ranks 33rd of 51 states and territories by count and 42nd of 50 per square mile.
Heat in Oregon, 1996 to 2026
Heat 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
- 2691996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 16average
- Deaths
- 19414 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $109Kas filed
- Busiest year
- 202166 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 heat records common in Oregon?
Oregon averages about 16 heat records a year since 2000, 33rd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2021 (66). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Oregon records 28 heat records since 1996, 42nd of 50 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 heat records?
Per square mile, Multnomah County leads Oregon: 26 days with a heat record since 1996, 60.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Clackamas County has the most heat records (51 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).
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 heat season in Oregon?
77% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (109 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 2 · Jun 57 · Jul 109 · Aug 97 · Sep 4 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest heat records in Oregon?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-06-26 | Excessive HeatClackamas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Portland Metro Area One storm episode: 7 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A high pressure heat dome over the region led to stretch of extreme heat, shattering records from June 26 through June 29. All time max temperatures were broken by 8 to 10 degrees. Widespread fatalities occurred due to the heat (123 in total), as many were without air-conditioning, as well as an increase in the number ... | 118 | 0 | $109K | |
| 2022-07-25 | Excessive HeatClackamas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Portland Metro Area One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places, 2022-07-25 to 2022-07-28; the totals are the episode's. A prolonged heatwave developed as strong high pressure formed over the Pacific Northwest. This event was most notable by it's duration. High temperatures around 100 degrees persisted for a week for much of the northwest Oregon and southwest Washington, except the coast. Heat indicies ranged from 95 to 105 degrees ... | 16 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-05 | HeatMultnomah County and Clackamas County · forecast zone Inner Portland Metro One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2024-07-05 to 2024-07-09; the totals are the episode's. Strong high pressure aloft setup over the West Coast, centered over portions of California. This system was nearly stationary which brought a prolonged stretch of hot temperatures to northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Temperatures ranged from 95 to 105 degrees during this time. There were 12 suspected heat ... | 12 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-08-11 | Excessive HeatClackamas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Portland Metro Area One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places, 2021-08-11 to 2021-08-14; the totals are the episode's. Hot weather began to develop August 9, peaking August 11-12, but temperatures continued above normal into the weekend. Peak afternoon temperatures of 100 to 105 degrees drove people to seek relief in or near bodies of water. Heat caused slowdowns on the MAX light rail (Portland metro area) systems, and some businesses ... | 6 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-08-14 | Excessive HeatClackamas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Portland Metro Area An extended period of hot weather lead to partner actions being taken and multiple heat related fatalities. High temperatures reached 101 to 108 in Portland between August 13 to 16. Low temperatures only fell to 68 to 73 on those days. Multnomah County reported six suspected heat-related deaths in Portland. | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-13 | Excessive HeatMultnomah County and Clackamas County · forecast zone Inner Portland Metro One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An upper-level ridge of high pressure built into Oregon June 13-15th leading to a multi-day heat event. Max temperatures were around 91 on June 13th, 94 on June 14th, and 97 on June 15th for the Portland metro area. Maximum Temperature records were set for Portland on 14th and 15th. Overnight lows were slow to cool on ... | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-04 | Excessive HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2024-07-04 to 2024-07-06; the totals are the episode's. A persistent ridge over the western states with an associated thermal trough extending from northern California into southern Oregon brought a long-duration heat wave. | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-06-02 | Excessive HeatClackamas County and 3 more · forecast zone Central Willamette Valley One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Unseasonably strong ridge of high pressure resulted in a period of early-season hot temperatures across Northwest Oregon. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-06-26 | Excessive HeatClackamas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Portland Metro Area One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong upper level ridge of high pressure resulted in hot temperatures across Northwest Oregon. Afternoon temperatures peaked in the low 90s to the low 100s which are around 20 degrees warmer than the seasonal normals. Monsoonal moisture and onshore winds resulted in fairly high humidities (40 to 50% in the ... | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2025-08-22 | Excessive HeatMultnomah County and Clackamas County · forecast zone Inner Portland Metro There were a couple of fatalities presumed to be due to the Heat with a Male, 56, in 97209 zip code, and a Female, 55 (Clackamas County). Additionally there were reported elevated County 911 calls due to the heat and elevated hospital/urgent care heat related visits for both Multnomah county and Clackamas county. | 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 heat records in Oregon
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-06-26 | Excessive HeatClackamas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Portland Metro Area One storm episode: 7 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 118 | 0 | $109K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are heat 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.
| Decade | Oregon | United States | Oregon's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 1 | 4,355 | 0.02% |
| 2000s | 56 | 9,163 | 0.61% |
| 2010s | 40 | 16,445 | 0.24% |
| 2020-26 | 172 | 26,796 | 0.64% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent heat records in Oregon
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-13 | Excessive HeatMultnomah County · forecast zone East Portland Metro | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-13 | Excessive HeatMultnomah County and Clackamas County · forecast zone Inner Portland Metro | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-22 | Excessive HeatMultnomah County and Clackamas County · forecast zone Inner Portland Metro | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-10 | Excessive HeatMultnomah County and Clackamas County · forecast zone Inner Portland Metro | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-09 | HeatWashington County and 2 more · forecast zone Tualatin Valley | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-06 | Excessive HeatKlamath County · forecast zone Klamath Basin | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-05 | HeatMultnomah County · forecast zone East Portland Metro | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-05 | HeatMultnomah County and Clackamas County · forecast zone Inner Portland Metro | 7 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-04 | Excessive HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson County | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-04 | Excessive HeatCoos County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Oregon Coast | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-08-14 | Excessive HeatClackamas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Portland Metro Area | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-08-07 | HeatClackamas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Portland Metro Area | 1 | 0 | – |
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.
Next
- Multnomah County: the county's whole recordThe Oregon county with the most heat records per square mile
- Heat across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in OregonTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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- Extreme cold in Oregon1,168 records