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Deschutes County, Oregon severe weather history spans 250 recorded events between 1969 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 64.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,107 nationally and #2 in Oregon.
250
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$11.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Deschutes County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Deschutes County, Oregon severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 105 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 243 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $9.0M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Deschutes County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 161 | 0 | $9.0M | 2 | 1982–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 29 | 0 | $208K | 76 | 1969–2025 |
| Lightning | 21 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 1.5 | 1997–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1997–2015 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $28K | F1 | 1983–2017 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 1999–2021 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2002 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2019 |
| Dust Devil | 2 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2003–2011 |
Decade by decade
Deschutes County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-08-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-09-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-09-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-06-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Deschutes County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 2009 | Lightning | LA PINE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2004 | Lightning | BEND | 0 | 1 | $1K |
| Aug 11, 1999 | Hail | SISTERS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A spotter reported hail up to 1 3/4 inch in Redmond along with heavy rain. 1/2 inch hail was reported in Bend. A local newspaper reported 2 inch hail in Terrebonne with damage to roofs, patio furniture, trees, windows, cars, satellite dishes, solar panels, corn and hay fields. The hail piled up more than four inches deep in places. Damage claims are estimated to be near two million dollars.
Lightning blew up a large transformer and a small natural gas pipeline east of Bend. About 14,000 customers were without power for an hour. Twentyfive customers were without gas untill a section of the pipe was replaced.
A powerful storm moved through the Deschutes County Fair injuring at least four people, flipping a large tent, and lifting an inflated laser tag game into a tree. A 40-by-40-foot tent flipped over and struck two people with 2 to 3 inch pipes, one went to the hospital. Two young men were playing in a 900 pound laser tag "bag" when a gust of wind picked up the balloon-like structure, with the men inside, and threw them into a tree. One of the young men received a bloody nose. The owner of the laser tag game estimated equipment losses as high as 100,000 dollars. Vendors' displays also were blown over and merchandise was damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
206,334
Population (ACS)
$651K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2025 | Fire | FLAT FIRE | FM |
| Aug 2, 2024 | Fire | MILE MARKER 132 FIRE | FM |
| Jun 25, 2024 | Fire | DARLENE 3 FIRE | FM |
| Jun 30, 2021 | Fire | 0419 FIRE | FM |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Deschutes County, Oregon?
250 events are on record between 1969 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Deschutes County?
Hail, with 161 recorded events — 64.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Deschutes County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Deschutes County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Deschutes County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Deschutes County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Deschutes County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Deschutes County, Oregon severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Curry County 67
- Douglas County 59
- Crook County 78
- Gilliam County 23
- Coos County 113
- Grant County 81
Cite this page
“Deschutes County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/deschutes-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.