Umatilla County, Oregon severe weather history spans 263 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,019 nationally and #1 in Oregon.
263
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$54.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Umatilla County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Umatilla County, Oregon severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 94 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 252 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Umatilla County, Oregon record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $53.7M 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 Umatilla County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 110 | 0 | $355K | 100 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 89 | 0 | $1K | 3 | 1969–2024 |
| Flood | 15 | 1 | $53.7M | 0 | 2011–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $50K | F0 | 1991–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $370K | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 1998–2010 |
| Wildfire | 5 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 1998–2003 |
Decade by decade
Umatilla County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-03-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-06-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-07-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 10.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Umatilla County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2020 | Flood | MILTON FREEWATER | 1 | 0 | $39.7M |
| Aug 7, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 5 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
McKay Creek, with headwaters in the Blue Mountains saw significant rises with record inflows recorded at McKay Reservoir in Pendleton. This resulted in increased releases from the McKay Dam, with flooding downstream along the creek through Pendleton. Teams were out in partnership with Team Rubicon and surveyed 102 homes in the McKay area. Nine homes reported flooded basements, twenty-eight homes reported subfloor or foundation flooding and sixty-five homes had water encroachment on the property. Over ninety homes had actively sandbagged their property.
A combination of high flows from rain and snow melt coming out of the Blue Mountains and record releases out of McKay Reservoir produced field and roadside flooding downstream of Pendleton through Echo, Hermiston and Umatilla. A footbridge at Umatilla was damaged by the high flows and erosion.
Storm observed by farm workers at Ruggs Ranch. One hundred foot section of workshop metal roof torn off and carried up to 1/2 mile. Fifty-gallon drums thrown up to 1/4 mile. Trees uprooted and limbs down. Wooden plank driven through metal building.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
79,940
Population (ACS)
$283K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2026 | Fire | LOWER DRY CREEK FIRE | FM |
| Jan 1, 2025 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jul 21, 2024 | Fire | BATTLE MOUNTAIN FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| 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 Umatilla County, Oregon?
263 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $54.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Umatilla County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 110 recorded events — 41.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Umatilla County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Umatilla County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Umatilla County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Umatilla County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Umatilla County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Umatilla 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
“Umatilla County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/umatilla-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.