Wallowa County, Oregon severe weather history spans 96 recorded events between 1956 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 40.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,899 nationally and #9 in Oregon.
96
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$26.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Wallowa County, Oregon severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wallowa County, Oregon severe weather history averages 1.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 40 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 88 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $25.1M 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 Wallowa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 39 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1956–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 17 | 0 | $12K | 61 | 1956–2024 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $179K | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $25.1M | F2 | 1968–2016 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 2000–2006 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2009 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2003 |
Decade by decade
Wallowa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wallowa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2022 | Hail | MINAM | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Wallowa County Sheriff's Office confirmed a mudslide near the Blue Mountain Council Boy Scout Camp at the south end of Wallowa Lake. The mudslide destroyed a dining hall near the boy scout camp. The debri flow in the lake was several feet thick. The mudslide swept away several trees and damaged three vehicles in its path.
Flood stage is 10.0 feet. The river rose above flood stage on February 7, at 125 am, crested at 11.73 feet on February 7, 1015 am, then fell below flood stage on February 8, at 430am. There was moderate flooding along the Grande Ronde River from Troy downstream to the Washington border. Redmond Grade road as well as Troy road and several other county roads were damaged. Damage is estimated at 129, 591 dollars.
Lightning struck a 75 foot radio antenna and short-circuited many electronic devices such as faxes, computers and phones, which were located next to the tower. One business owner estimated total losses of over 25 thousand dollars. Other lightning strikes cut power to 800 customers in the nearby towns of Wallowa Lake and Joseph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,553
Population (ACS)
$395K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2020 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Fire | GRIZZLY BEAR FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Feb 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wallowa County, Oregon?
96 events are on record between 1956 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $26.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wallowa County?
Hail, with 39 recorded events — 40.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wallowa 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 Wallowa County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wallowa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wallowa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wallowa County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wallowa 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
- Union County 147
- Wasco County 41
- Umatilla County 263
- Washington County 77
- Tillamook County 94
- Wheeler County 48
Cite this page
“Wallowa County, Oregon.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oregon/wallowa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.