Columbia County, Oregon severe weather history spans 31 recorded events between 1955 and 2022. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 38.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,113 nationally and #33 in Oregon.
31
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$39.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Columbia County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Columbia County, Oregon severe weather history averages 0.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 14 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 28 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Columbia County, Oregon record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $39.3M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Columbia County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 12 | 1 | $39.3M | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2007 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $103K | F1 | 1965–2020 |
| Hail | 3 | 0 | $0 | 1 | 1955–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2018 |
Decade by decade
Columbia County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-11-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-04-28 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-11-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Columbia County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 9, 2015 | Flood | VERNONIA | 1 | 1 | $2.3M |
| Apr 28, 2000 | Tornado | ST HELENS | 0 | 1 | $35K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Nehalem River near Vernonia flooded Vernonia resulting in evacuation of residents and damage to many buildings and vehicles. A bridge washed out on TImber Road and isolated the Glenwood Community. There was also significant flooding in St Helens, where 17 homes were evacuated, and many roads were damaged and closed. Highway 30 and the business district in Rainier also flooded. An elderly couple drove around a barrier of a closed road, and was swept away by high water. The man escaped through the sunroof of the vehicle, but the woman ended up drowning. Flooding and landslides cut off Western Columbia County.
The Upper Nehalem River flooded near Vernonia, and did devastating damage to the city. Numerous homes were completely flooded, and many families were evacuated. Quite a few lost everything they had. NOTE: Damage estimates are for the entire Columbia county, with almost a third of the damage in the town of Vernonia.
Flooding from the Nehalem River and Rock Creek in Vernonia resulted in evacuation of homes and the implementation of the Vernonia Emergency Command Center. Heavy rain resulted in a land slide that closed OR47 at mile marker 8.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
53,493
Population (ACS)
$422K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Aug 8, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Feb 17, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 2, 2012 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Columbia County, Oregon?
31 events are on record between 1955 and 2022, causing 1 direct deaths and $39.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Columbia County?
Flood, with 12 recorded events — 38.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Columbia County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Columbia County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Columbia County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Columbia County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Columbia County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Columbia 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
- Clatsop County 36
- Coos County 113
- Clackamas County 107
- Crook County 78
- Benton County 49
- Curry County 67
Cite this page
“Columbia County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/columbia-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.