Gilliam County, Oregon severe weather history spans 23 recorded events between 1957 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,144 nationally and #35 in Oregon.
23
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$20.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Gilliam County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gilliam County, Oregon severe weather history averages 0.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 7 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 22 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $20.0M 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 Gilliam County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 11 | 0 | $20.0M | 4 | 1991–2019 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6 | 0 | $0 | 70 | 2006–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $57K | 0 | 2003–2012 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $3K | F0 | 1957–1957 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Gilliam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-04-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 16.2 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
Flash flood washed out Armstrong Road and Thirty mile road and moved large amounts of debris including large boulders. A fiber optic communications line was cut which caused phone outage for hundreds of customers. A cow and calf were swept away in the flash flood.
A thunderstorm produced very heavy rain in a short period of time in Condon. A cooperative observer reported 1.12 inches of rain in about 15 minutes, which led to flash flooding. The flash flood resulted in flooding on Main Street, while mud, rocks, and water spilled over roadways inside, and in the vicinity of Condon, flooding some buildings, and shorting out power lines. The basement of the North Central Education Service District Building collected water that rain gutters couldn't contain. Gilliam county Road Department Employees aided in cleaning and repairing county roads. The property damage from this event is estimated at $7,000.
A thunderstorm moved through Condon and produced heavy rain and strong wind. Local rain gages measured up to 2.25 inches of rain in less than two hours. Several basements and downtown businesses, including the post office, were flooded. The wind also broke tree branches.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,971
Population (ACS)
$189K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2025 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jul 18, 2024 | Fire | LONE ROCK FIRE | FM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 20, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Gilliam County, Oregon?
23 events are on record between 1957 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $20.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gilliam County?
Hail, with 11 recorded events — 47.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gilliam 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 Gilliam County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gilliam County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gilliam County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gilliam County as very low risk, placing it in the 3 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gilliam 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
- Douglas County 59
- Grant County 81
- Deschutes County 250
- Harney County 68
- Curry County 67
- Hood River County 27
Cite this page
“Gilliam County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/gilliam-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.