Polk County, Oregon severe weather history spans 54 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 50.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,031 nationally and #25 in Oregon.
54
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$4.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Polk County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Polk County, Oregon severe weather history averages 1.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 22 events logged in that decade alone.
The costliest is flood, with $4.4M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Polk County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $4.4M | 0 | 2005–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2016 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $5K | F1 | 1997–2003 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3 | 0 | $0 | 74 | 1996–2021 |
Decade by decade
Polk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-09-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-09-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 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
Heavy rain resulted in flooding of the Luckiamute River near Suver. The Luckiamute River reached flood stage at 1225 PM on November 25th, and crested at 28.8 feet at 830 PM on November 25th. The river dropped below flood stage at 627 PM on November 26.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
89,662
Population (ACS)
$455K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 4, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Feb 17, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 2, 2012 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Polk County, Oregon?
54 events are on record between 1996 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Polk County?
Flood, with 27 recorded events — 50.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Polk 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 Polk County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Polk County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Polk County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Polk County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Polk 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
- Multnomah County 91
- Sherman County 19
- Morrow County 65
- Tillamook County 94
- Marion County 84
- Umatilla County 263
Cite this page
“Polk County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/polk-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.