Baker County, Oregon severe weather history spans 93 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 28.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,909 nationally and #12 in Oregon.
93
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$260K
Property damage
The record
What the Baker County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Baker County, Oregon severe weather history averages 1.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 28 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 81 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $250K 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 Baker County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $0 | 1.5 | 1955–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 26 | 0 | $0 | 73 | 1958–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2002–2018 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $0 | F0 | 1975–2004 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2010–2011 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2025 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2002 |
Decade by decade
Baker County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-06-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-09-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Baker County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2002 | Hail | SUMPTER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 28, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | KEATING | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms producing heavy rain over the 2016 Rail Fire burned area on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest resulted in flash flooding and debris flows. Two surges of water, mud, rock, logs and vegetation cascaded down a number of drainages, all converging into the South Fork of the Burnt River. Extensive scouring of stream channels occurred. A number of Forest Service campgrounds and picnic areas were damaged and some Forest Service roads were washed out or heavily damaged. Campers and hunters had to evacuate the area. Some recreational vehicles were damaged.
Baker County emergency management conducted a ground survey the day following the storm. Evidence was found that water had flowed across Rye Valley Lane and Mormon Basin Road. In addition, rocks, mud and debris were deposited on these roads in at least two locations, indicating that debris flow activity also occurred. Nearby residences reported heavy rainfall, consistent with radar estimates of 1.13 inches of rain falling in less than 30 minutes. Exact location and timing were estimated using hydrophobic unit flow.
Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall moved across parts of Southwest Baker County causing flash flooding and debris flow on burn scars southwest of Unity along the South Fork of the Burnt River, and along Highway 245 from northeast of Unity to around 5 miles south of the intersection with Highway 7. Weather observations from around the area reported up to one and a half inches of rain over a period of about one hour.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,840
Population (ACS)
$286K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2024 | Fire | DURKEE FIRE | FM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 14, 2015 | Fire | DRY GULCH FIRE | FM |
| Aug 13, 2015 | Fire | CORNET AND WINDY RIDGE FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Jul 25, 2006 | Fire | FOSTER GULCH FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Baker County, Oregon?
93 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $260K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Baker County?
Hail, with 26 recorded events — 28.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Baker County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Baker County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Baker County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Baker County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Baker County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Baker 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
- Benton County 49
- Clackamas County 107
- Clatsop County 36
- Columbia County 31
- Coos County 113
- Crook County 78
Cite this page
“Baker County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/baker-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.