Morrow County, Oregon severe weather history spans 65 recorded events between 1957 and 2023. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,007 nationally and #22 in Oregon.
65
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Morrow County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Morrow County, Oregon severe weather history averages 1.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 27 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 62 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 $750K in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Morrow County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 31 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1957–2015 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 16 | 0 | $750K | 102 | 1982–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $166K | 0 | 2005–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2012 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $21K | F1 | 2006–2011 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2018–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Morrow County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 16.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Morrow County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2000 | Lightning | BOARDMAN | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Morrow County Emergency Management reports trees down on houses with power poles and lines down in the south side of Irrigon. Wind damage to numerous houses and buildings in the Irrigon area. At least 22 power poles down from Paterson Ferry Road to Irrigon.
One to two inches of rainfall within 1 hour caused flash flooding in the Heppner and Lexington areas. Roads were inundated. A home, two basements, and a garage were flooded. Sandbags were used to protect homes and businesses.
EF0 tornado, which was spotted by a resident, caused damage to a pump house on the farm south southwest of Lexington. Insulation was seen twisting up in the air and 2x4s from the pump house landed 100 yards to the southeast. Pea sized hail was seen prior to the damage and thunder was heard 10 minutes prior to the damage. Trees, grass, and weeds were seen blowing in various directions.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,300
Population (ACS)
$240K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2024 | Fire | BATTLE MOUNTAIN FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Jul 18, 2024 | Fire | LONE ROCK FIRE | FM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| 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 Morrow County, Oregon?
65 events are on record between 1957 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Morrow County?
Hail, with 31 recorded events — 47.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Morrow County?
3 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 Morrow County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Morrow County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Morrow County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Morrow County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Morrow 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
Cite this page
“Morrow County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/morrow-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.