PlainHazard

Oregon lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 26 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 120 lightning records in Oregon from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 4.8 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 25, 2013 lightning in Jefferson County: 1 death. Oregon ranks 37th of 52 states and territories by count and 44th of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in Oregon, 1996 to 2026

Lightning 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
1201996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
4.8average
Deaths
214 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$5.1Mas filed
Busiest year
200215 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 lightning records common in Oregon?

Oregon averages about 4.8 lightning records a year since 2000, 37th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2002 (15). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Oregon records 13 lightning records since 1996, 44th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 859
  2. 2. Delaware 744
  3. 3. Massachusetts 642
  4. 4. Rhode Island 571
  5. 5. Connecticut 353
  6. 6. Florida 331
  7. 7. Maryland 322
  8. 8. New Hampshire 232
  9. 9. Georgia 228
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 175
  11. 44. Oregon 13

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 lightning records?

Per square mile, Multnomah County leads Oregon: 5 days with a lightning record since 1996, 11.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Deschutes County has the most lightning records (21 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).

  1. Multnomah County 11.6 (5)
  2. Washington County 6.9 (5)
  3. Deschutes County 6.0 (21)
  4. Union County 5.4 (11)
  5. Clackamas County 4.3 (8)
  6. Umatilla County 3.1 (10)
  7. Josephine County 3.1 (5)
  8. Marion County 2.5 (3)
  9. Jefferson County 2.2 (4)
  10. Jackson County 2.2 (6)
  11. Coos County 1.9 (3)
  12. Curry County 1.8 (3)

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 lightning season in Oregon?

57% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (38 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 1 · Feb 1 · Mar 1 · Apr 6 · May 16 · Jun 11 · Jul 31 · Aug 38 · Sep 13 · Oct 1 · Nov 0 · Dec 1 (records).

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

What were the deadliest lightning records in Oregon?

Oregon: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2013-08-25 LightningMadras, Jefferson County KPTV Fox 12 News reported the story. The article was posted online as well. 1 0 –
1997-05-14 LightningSpray, Wheeler County A man and the horse he was riding were killed when they were struck by lightning on May Ridge. 1 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 lightning records in Oregon

Oregon: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1997-06-29 LightningBend, Deschutes County 0 0 $2.8M
1998-04-22 LightningSodaville, Linn County 0 0 $362K
2009-05-31 LightningVoorhies, Jackson County 0 1 $138K
2000-08-10 LightningBoardman, Morrow County 0 1 $34K
2026-05-03 LightningAshland, Jackson County 0 0 $12K
2004-08-04 LightningBend, Deschutes County 0 1 $2K

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

Are lightning 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.

Lightning: Oregon and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeOregonUnited StatesOregon's share
1996-99263,5210.74%
2000s748,0520.92%
2010s175,1030.33%
2020-2631,5440.19%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in Oregon

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-27 LightningCealca, Clackamas County 0 1 –
2026-05-03 LightningAshland, Jackson County 0 0 $12K
2013-09-05 LightningCoquille, Coos County 0 1 –
2013-08-25 LightningMadras, Jefferson County 1 0 –
2011-10-05 LightningMolalla, Clackamas County 0 1 –
2009-06-03 LightningLa Pine, Deschutes County 0 1 –
2009-06-02 LightningCentral Pt, Jackson County 0 1 –
2009-05-31 LightningVoorhies, Jackson County 0 1 $138K
2008-06-29 LightningDamascus, Clackamas County 0 2 –
2004-12-08 LightningAstoria, Clatsop County 0 1 –
2004-08-04 LightningBend, Deschutes County 0 1 $2K
2003-04-25 LightningSweet Home, Linn County 0 1 –

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.

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