Tornadoes · United States

Tornadoes in Oregon

135 tornadoes since 1950, an average of 1.8 a year, 40th of the 53 states and territories in the record. They have killed 6 people and injured 305. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The deadliest in Oregon

  1. F3, Multnomah and Clark counties, Oregon and WashingtonApril 5, 19726 killed, 300 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Multnomah and Clark counties, Oregon and WashingtonApril 5, 1972F3, 8.7 mi (14 km)
  2. F2, Wallowa County, OregonJune 11, 1968F2, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  3. F2, Yamhill and Washington counties, OregonDecember 8, 1993F2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  4. EF2, Marion County, OregonDecember 14, 2010EF2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  5. EF2, Tillamook County, OregonOctober 14, 2016EF2, 0.7 mi (1 km)
  6. F1, Malheur County, OregonAugust 25, 1966F1, 19.1 mi (31 km)
  7. F1, Malheur County, OregonApril 30, 1997F1, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  8. EF1, Umatilla County, OregonMay 6, 2022EF1, 2.9 mi (5 km)
  9. F1, Clackamas County, OregonApril 12, 1957F1, 2.5 mi (4 km)
  10. F1, Grant County, OregonJuly 19, 2004F1, 2.2 mi (4 km)
  11. F1, Tillamook County, OregonDecember 12, 1975F1, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  12. EF1, Umatilla County, OregonMay 6, 2009EF1, 1.6 mi (3 km)

The longest paths

  1. F1, Malheur County, OregonAugust 25, 196619.1 mi (31 km)
  2. F0, Gilliam and Morrow counties, OregonApril 12, 195716.2 mi (26 km)
  3. F2, Wallowa County, OregonJune 11, 19689.6 mi (15 km)
  4. F3, Multnomah and Clark counties, Oregon and WashingtonApril 5, 19728.7 mi (14 km)
  5. F2, Yamhill and Washington counties, OregonDecember 8, 19936.0 mi (10 km)
  6. EF2, Marion County, OregonDecember 14, 20105.0 mi (8 km)
  7. F1, Malheur County, OregonApril 30, 19973.0 mi (5 km)
  8. EF1, Umatilla County, OregonMay 6, 20222.9 mi (5 km)
  9. F1, Clackamas County, OregonApril 12, 19572.5 mi (4 km)
  10. F0, Lane County, OregonDecember 2, 19992.3 mi (4 km)
  11. F1, Grant County, OregonJuly 19, 20042.2 mi (4 km)
  12. EF0, Harney County, OregonJune 27, 20232.1 mi (3 km)

The costliest

  1. EF2, Marion County, OregonDecember 14, 2010$1.2 million
  2. EF2, Tillamook County, OregonOctober 14, 2016$1.0 million
  3. F0, Curry County, OregonNovember 9, 2002$500,000
  4. EF1, Linn County, OregonSeptember 19, 2017$240,000
  5. EF0, Washington County, OregonOctober 29, 2018$100,000
  6. EF0, Wallowa County, OregonMay 6, 2009$100,000
  7. EF0, Clackamas County, OregonOctober 22, 2022$50,000
  8. EF0, Clackamas County, OregonOctober 26, 2009$50,000
  9. EF1, Umatilla County, OregonMay 6, 2009$50,000
  10. F1, Clackamas County, OregonOctober 9, 2000$50,000
  11. F0, Lane County, OregonDecember 5, 1996$50,000
  12. EF0, Columbia County, OregonNovember 10, 2020$40,000

The biggest days in Oregon

  1. September 15, 19974tornadoes
  2. November 12, 19913tornadoes
  3. June 27, 20232tornadoes
  4. October 29, 20182tornadoes
  5. October 14, 20162tornadoes
  6. May 6, 20092tornadoes
  7. August 9, 20012tornadoes
  8. October 9, 20002tornadoes
  9. October 3, 19982tornadoes
  10. September 18, 19972tornadoes
  11. September 17, 19972tornadoes
  12. April 30, 19972tornadoes

Every year

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesF4 and above
20252
20243
20234
20224
20202
20194
20183
20173
20164
20151
20133
20111
201022
20095
20072
20064
20051
20046
20032
20022
20014
200031
199911
19983
199714
199641
19954
19942
19932
19921
19915
19892
19844
19833
19781
19753
19741
19731
197216300
19711
19701
19691
19682
19673
19663
19651
19621
19601
19572
19541
19511

Every county in Oregon

A tornado is counted once for every county its path crossed, so these add up to more than 135. Each county has a page of its own: every tornado that crossed it, year by year.

CountyTornadoesDeaths
Marion County11
Umatilla County9
Clackamas County8
Harney County7
Lane County7
Tillamook County7
Wallowa County7
Washington County7
Deschutes County6
Malheur County6
Multnomah County66
Baker County5
Clatsop County5
Klamath County5
Linn County5
Columbia County4
Lincoln County4
Yamhill County4
Curry County3
Grant County3
Jefferson County3
Morrow County3
Polk County3
Benton County2
Lake County2
Douglas County1
Gilliam County1
Union County1
Wasco County1
Wheeler County1
Clark County16
Cowlitz County1

Nearby

Warnings in force in OregonForecast for your townThe live radar over Oregon

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.