Union County, Oregon severe weather history spans 147 recorded events between 1958 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 61.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,720 nationally and #4 in Oregon.
147
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Union County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Union County, Oregon severe weather history averages 2.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 62 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 141 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $3.0M 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 Union County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 90 | 0 | $2K | 2 | 1958–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 20 | 0 | $445K | 70 | 1988–2021 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $79K | 0 | 1997–2006 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 2008–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2015 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1998–2004 |
| Strong Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $3K | F0 | 1983–1983 |
Decade by decade
Union County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-06-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Union County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2011 | Hail | PERRY | 0 | 1 | $200 |
| Jul 19, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | LA GRANDE | 0 | 1 | $300K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall on above average snow pack produced record flood stage of 7.7 feet on the Grande Ronde River at Perry. Additional flooding occurred on Little Creek, Wolf Creek, Ladd Creek, and Catherine Creek. Flooding impacted 12 thousand acres of crops and dozens of homes and businesses. Twenty-county roads and state roads were covered including Highway 204 west of LaGrande. Flooding also occurred at Hilgard and Red Bridge State Parks west of LaGrande.
There was moderate flooding along the Grande Ronde River from near Hilgard Junction through La Grande and Island City and Imbler to Elgin. In addition, the rapid snowmelt and heavy rain cause widespread flooding along a number of small streams and creeks with water over roads and filling fields. Highways 237 and 244 were closed due to flooding and plugged culverts due to rock slides. Damage was estimated at 750,777 dollars. Grande Ronde near Perry – Flood stage is 6.6 feet. The river rose above flood stage on February 6th at 245 pm, crested at 8.54 feet on Feb 7th at 1 am, then fell below flood stage on February 8 at 1245 am. There was moderate flooding along the Grande Ronde River from near Hilgard Junction through La Grande and Island City and Imbler to Elgin.
Witnesses described a sudden microburst damaged two locations west of Summerville. A large tree crashed through one house, while the residents were not at home. Another downed tree took out a power line and damaged the roof.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,144
Population (ACS)
$295K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| 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 |
| 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 Union County, Oregon?
147 events are on record between 1958 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Union County?
Hail, with 90 recorded events — 61.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Union County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Union County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Union County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Union County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Union County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 44 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Union 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
- Umatilla County 263
- Wallowa County 96
- Tillamook County 94
- Wasco County 41
- Sherman County 19
- Washington County 77
Cite this page
“Union County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/union-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.