Harney County, Oregon severe weather history spans 68 recorded events between 1967 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,998 nationally and #19 in Oregon.
68
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Harney County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harney County, Oregon severe weather history averages 1.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 29 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 4 events fall before 1990 and 64 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Harney County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 25 | 0 | $1.2M | 65 | 1967–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2024 |
| Hail | 11 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1998–2019 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $15K | F0 | 1995–2023 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Harney County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-06-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-08-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-08-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-09-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-03-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hundreds of homes were impacted by flood waters, many with major damage and some were uninhabitable. Numerous residents were evacuated during the height of the flooding with some sheltering in hotels and Red Cross mass care facilities. There was extensive damage to sewer system.
During the evening of September 15th a small tornado struck the ranch of Rick and Judy Hoyt near Burns, Oregon. The short lived tornado twisted and snapped a pine tree, threw large bails of hay, broke a window and damaged power lines around the homestead. A witness in nearby Hines, Oregon reported seeing a funnel cloud around the same time.
Hundreds of homes were impacted by flood waters, many with major damage and some were uninhabitable. Numerous residents were evacuated during the height of the flooding with some sheltering in hotels and Red Cross mass care facilities. Extensive damage to sewer system.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,499
Population (ACS)
$242K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2024 | Fire | FALLS FIRE | FM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 12, 2007 | Fire | EGLEY FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Feb 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harney County, Oregon?
68 events are on record between 1967 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harney County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 25 recorded events — 36.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harney County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harney County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harney County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harney County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harney County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harney 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
- Grant County 81
- Hood River County 27
- Gilliam County 23
- Jackson County 152
- Douglas County 59
- Jefferson County 87
Cite this page
“Harney County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/harney-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.