Benton County, Oregon severe weather history spans 49 recorded events between 1982 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 51.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,057 nationally and #27 in Oregon.
49
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$3.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Benton County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Benton County, Oregon severe weather history averages 1.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 21 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 46 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, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Benton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2013 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7 | 0 | $5K | 71 | 1982–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $0 | F0 | 1997–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Benton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 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
A landspout was photographed and briefly recorded to the west-northwest of Central Linn High School in the fields around Halsey, OR. No damage was reported. A small condensation funnel was observed above the ground circulation by the observer even though the photographs and video did not show the condensation funnel. The ground circulation and condensation funnel were not visibly connected. Time is based on the public report. Location and path width are roughly estimated based on video footage.
Heavy rain resulted in flooding of the Marys River near Philomath. The Marys River reached flood stage at 205 AM on November 25th, and crested at 21.2 feet at 1030 AM on November 25th. The river dropped below flood stage at 800 AM on November 26.
Multiple reports, from various public sources, reported observing at least a funnel cloud in-between Corvallis,OR and Philomath,OR. Radar did show possible rotation around this time. Location point used is a best estimate based on information from the public.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
96,303
Population (ACS)
$513K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 4, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 4, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Benton County, Oregon?
49 events are on record between 1982 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Benton County?
Flood, with 25 recorded events — 51.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Benton 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 Benton County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Benton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Benton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Benton County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Benton 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
- Baker County 93
- Clackamas County 107
- Clatsop County 36
- Columbia County 31
- Coos County 113
- Crook County 78
Cite this page
“Benton County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/benton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.