Lake County, Oregon severe weather history spans 53 recorded events between 1958 and 2024. The dominant hazard is wildfire, accounting for 41.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,033 nationally and #26 in Oregon.
53
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$30K
Property damage
The record
What the Lake County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lake County, Oregon severe weather history averages 0.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 28 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 4 events fall before 1990 and 49 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 $30K in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | 22 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2002 |
| Hail | 15 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1958–2018 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7 | 0 | $30K | 64 | 1991–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2003 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $0 | F0 | 1973–2005 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
Decade by decade
Lake County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-08-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-21 | 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
A severe thunderstorm along North 4th St, Highway 140, in Lakeview, Oregon generated strong downdraft straight line winds. Power lines were tipped over and tree limbs were down, resulting in 710 customers that lost power. The roof blew off the Pacific Power office building, into the road.
High streamflows on Bullard Creek and Deadman Creek led to flooding at the point they merged in Lakeview. Widespread flooding was reported on city streets and on Forest Service roads. Boulders were washed down the creeks and into the streets. Lakeview schools closed for the day.
At 12/1830 PST a member of the public reported scanner reports from Oregon State Police stating that golf ball sized hail fell at milepost 27 on Oregon Highway 31. There were several inches of accumulated hail at the site. Earlier, at 22/1747 PST, a spotter 6 W Fort Rock reported one inch or greater hail between Fort Rock and Oregon Highway 31.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,267
Population (ACS)
$220K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2021 | Fire | PATTON MEADOW FIRE | FM |
| Jul 10, 2021 | Fire | BOOTLEG FIRE | FM |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Sep 12, 2020 | Fire | BRATTAIN FIRE | FM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lake County, Oregon?
53 events are on record between 1958 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $30K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lake County?
Wildfire, with 22 recorded events — 41.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lake County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lake County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lake 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
- Klamath County 94
- Lane County 112
- Josephine County 66
- Lincoln County 47
- Jefferson County 87
- Linn County 64
Cite this page
“Lake County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/lake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.