Oregon severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 36 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 592 severe thunderstorm wind events in Oregon from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 16 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the November 6, 2021 thunderstorm wind in Multnomah County: 2 deaths and 3 injuries across 2 records. Oregon ranks 47th of 52 states and territories by count and 49th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Oregon, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 5921955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 16average
- Deaths
- 417 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $9.7Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 200640 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Oregon?
Oregon averages about 16 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 47th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2006 (40). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Oregon records 62 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 49th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Multnomah County leads Oregon: 13 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 30.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Umatilla County has the most thunderstorm wind records (110 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Oregon?
42% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (131 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 13 · Feb 5 · Mar 23 · Apr 39 · May 102 · Jun 88 · Jul 118 · Aug 131 · Sep 47 · Oct 12 · Nov 7 · Dec 7 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Oregon?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-06 | Thunderstorm WindParkrose, Multnomah County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Two people in separate incidents were killed by falling tree branches during a thunderstorm. | 35 kt wind | 2 | 3 | – |
| 2009-05-02 | Thunderstorm WindMilwaukie, Clackamas County A severe thunderstorm moved through the area, producing strong winds, 3/4 inch hail, and downed a few trees. Approximately 30,000 people in the Portland metro area lost power due to downed power lines. Near Tualatin, a man was killed after a limb blown down by strong winds fell onto his car. | 55 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1996-01-15 | Thunderstorm WindCarver, Clackamas County A strong Pacific front moved into Western Oregon early in the morning. A line of strong and severe thunderstorms developed along the front producing damaging wind gusts. Winds gusted to 70 mph at Netarts and 61 mph at Sea Lion Caves. Sustained winds of 58 mph hit Chetco and sustained winds of 46 mph occurred at ... | 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 severe thunderstorm wind events in Oregon
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-01-15 | Thunderstorm WindLincoln City, Lincoln County | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2021-08-04 | Thunderstorm WindDrewsey, Harney County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| 1994-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindMalheur County | 0 | 0 | $995K | |
| 2006-05-19 | Thunderstorm WindBoardman, Morrow County | 102 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $732K |
| 2008-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindMunley, Morrow County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $480K |
| 2004-07-19 | Thunderstorm WindLa Grande, Union County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $469K |
| 1998-07-29 | Thunderstorm WindRedmond, Deschutes County | 0 | 0 | $362K | |
| 2015-12-10 | Thunderstorm WindEugene Sweet Ar, Lane County | 41 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $324K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 12 | 3,482 | 0.34% |
| 1960s | 10 | 10,124 | 0.10% |
| 1970s | 18 | 18,714 | 0.10% |
| 1980s | 39 | 39,604 | 0.10% |
| 1990s | 97 | 85,554 | 0.11% |
| 2000s | 175 | 129,990 | 0.13% |
| 2010s | 149 | 161,286 | 0.09% |
| 2020-26 | 92 | 126,815 | 0.07% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Oregon
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-26 | Thunderstorm WindMedford Airport, Jackson County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindWilderville, Josephine County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindFruitdale, Josephine County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $68K |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindGold Hill, Jackson County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| 2026-04-01 | Thunderstorm WindNolin, Umatilla County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-11-05 | Thunderstorm WindNehalem, Tillamook County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-09-28 | Thunderstorm WindRome, Malheur County | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-09-28 | Thunderstorm WindRome, Malheur County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindDrewsey, Malheur County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindBend, Deschutes County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindRound Mountain, Deschutes County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-29 | Thunderstorm WindFrenchglen Airport, Harney County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 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.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Oregon
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 20 declarations in Oregon, 20 of them major disasters; the latest on April 7, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-07 | DR-4907 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 11 |
| 2025-07-22 | DR-4881 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 4 |
| 2024-04-13 | DR-4768 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Landslides, and Mudslides | 13 |
| 2021-05-04 | DR-4599 | Severe Winter Storm | 7 |
| 2019-05-02 | DR-4432 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 5 |
| 2017-08-08 | DR-4328 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 4 |
| 2017-01-25 | DR-4296 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 2 |
| 2016-02-17 | DR-4258 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 14 |
| 2014-04-04 | DR-4169 | Severe Winter Storm | 4 |
| 2011-02-17 | DR-1956 | Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Mudslides, Landslides, and Debris Flows | 6 |
| 2009-03-02 | DR-1824 | Severe Winter Storm, Record and Near Record Snow | 10 |
| 2007-12-08 | DR-1733 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 12 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Multnomah County: the county's whole recordThe Oregon county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind 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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