Wheeler County, Oregon severe weather history spans 48 recorded events between 1957 and 2022. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,060 nationally and #28 in Oregon.
48
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Wheeler County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wheeler County, Oregon severe weather history averages 0.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 20 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 47 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wheeler County, Oregon record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $1.0M 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 Wheeler County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 22 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1957–2022 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2010–2020 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6 | 0 | $1K | 74 | 2003–2016 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $16K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2002 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EF0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Wheeler 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-06-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wheeler County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1997 | Lightning | SPRAY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2006 | Hail | SERVICE CREEK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous sections of Oregon Highway 19 and 207 were closed due to water over road and damage to road surfaces. Numerous county roads were damaged with rock and mudslides as well as plugged culverts. Flooding was reported in the city park in Spray.
Total rainfall of 1.67 inches was recorded just east of Mitchell. This heavy rain over a short period of time triggered a flash flood through Huddleston Heights and Nelson Street, and off of High Street and Rosenbaum with mud and debris blocking roads in and around the town of Mitchell.
The John Day river near Service Creek, ( flood stage 11.5) crested at 12.0 feet at 1815 on March 16th, fell below flood stage and then rose again to 12.1 feet at 1900 on March 19th. Fell below flood stage 0600 on the 20th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,485
Population (ACS)
$272K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2025 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2024 | Fire | RAIL RIDGE FIRE | FM |
| Jul 18, 2024 | Fire | LONE ROCK FIRE | FM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 9, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wheeler County, Oregon?
48 events are on record between 1957 and 2022, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wheeler County?
Hail, with 22 recorded events — 45.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wheeler 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 Wheeler County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wheeler County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wheeler County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wheeler County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wheeler 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
- Washington County 77
- Yamhill County 34
- Wasco County 41
- Wallowa County 96
- Union County 147
- Umatilla County 263
Cite this page
“Wheeler County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/wheeler-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.