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Jefferson County, Oregon severe weather history spans 87 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,928 nationally and #14 in Oregon.
87
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$5.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Oregon severe weather history averages 1.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 31 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 82 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jefferson County, Oregon record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is wildfire, with $5.5M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 37 | 0 | $20K | 1.75 | 1958–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 27 | 0 | $69K | 87 | 1969–2022 |
| Wildfire | 8 | 0 | $5.5M | 0 | 1998–2003 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 1.5 | 1997–2012 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $41K | 0 | 2001–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $1K | F0 | 2004–2004 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson County, Oregon severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2013 | Lightning | MADRAS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Eyerly Fire, sparked by lightning, consumed 23,573 acres and destroyed several structures, including 18 homes, 13 out buildings, three travel trailers, and two cars. In addition, one home and five buildings were damaged.
The Madras Pioneer newspaper reported a sudden wind and rain storm with gusts to 60 mph at the airport. There was a split Juniper tree and a fence blown down on northeast Elm Lane. Power lines were down at the experiment station north of Madras. The plastic was torn up on a greenhouse on South Adams Drive.
Via the Jefferson Counties Sheriff's Office social media post, the SW Jordan road leading to the Billy Chinook Lake was closed due to high water and debris from flash flooding. An estimated up to 1.5 inches of rainfall occurred over a 2 hour period within the immediate area, resulting in water draining into a dry waterfall, with the road closure at the bottom of this waterfall.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,203
Population (ACS)
$374K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2025 | Fire | FLAT FIRE | FM |
| Jun 17, 2025 | Fire | ALDER SPRINGS FIRE | FM |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Fire | ELK LANE FIRE | FM |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Fire | WILDFIRES | EM |
| Sep 8, 2020 | Fire | BEACHIE CREEK LIONSHEAD FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jefferson County, Oregon?
87 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $5.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Hail, with 37 recorded events — 42.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as very low risk, placing it in the 30 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Jackson County 152
- Josephine County 66
- Hood River County 27
- Klamath County 94
- Harney County 68
- Lake County 53
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.