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Wind in Harney County, Oregon
38 damaging wind events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Thunderstorm Wind, High Wind, Strong Wind.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Harney County, Oregon, has 38 wind events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 20 different years.
August is the busiest month, with 11 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 25 events against 9 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 1% of the 3,741 wind events recorded in Oregon; its 0.4 per 100 square miles compares with 3.9 statewide.
30 wind reports with a measured or estimated speed reached the 58 mph severe threshold, and 6 reached hurricane force (74 mph).
Some winter weather and high wind events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county; zone-recorded events whose zone is named for the county are included and marked "Forecast zone" in the table.
Compared with Oregon
| Measure | Harney County | Oregon | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind events since 1950 | 38 | 3,741 | 701,953 |
| Per 100 square miles | 0.4 | 3.9 | 19.9 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 50.2 | 8.8 | 21.1 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 42 | 2,166 |
| Busiest month | August | December | June |
By year
Seasonality
2Feb
2Mar
7Apr
1May
6Jun
1Jul
4Aug
11Sep
2Oct
0Nov
1Dec
1
Magnitude distribution
NWS wind thresholds
- under 58 mph
- below severe threshold
- 58–73 mph
- severe
- 74–95 mph
- hurricane-force
- 96 mph and over
- extreme
Wind speed converted from the knots NCEI records; estimated and measured gusts are combined. Events without a speed are not binned.
Recorded events
All 38 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jul 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 62 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jul 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 59 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Mar 2025 | High Wind | 74 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 23 Jul 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Mar 2024 | High Wind | 67 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 12 Jan 2024 | High Wind | 78 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 61 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Mar 2023 | High Wind | 59 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 12 Dec 2022 | High Wind | 46 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 7 Sep 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Aug 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $1.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Mar 2021 | High Wind | 66 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 25 May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Sep 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 23 Feb 2013 | High Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 12 Mar 2012 | High Wind | 71 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Apr 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | $200K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Mar 2010 | High Wind | 85 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Nov 2008 | High Wind | 67 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 4 Jan 2008 | High Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 5 Aug 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Aug 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 59 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Aug 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Aug 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 67 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jul 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Mar 2005 | High Wind | 83 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 14 Feb 2000 | High Wind | 81 mph | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Aug 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 3 May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | 74 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Aug 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 61 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Aug 1978 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Aug 1978 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Aug 1976 | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Aug 1967 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many wind events has Harney County had?
38 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of damaging wind became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded wind event in Harney County?
29 Jul 2025 (Thunderstorm Wind, 62 mph). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging wind event recorded in Harney County?
The thunderstorm wind of 4 Aug 2021, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $1.0M.
How does Harney County compare with Oregon for wind?
0.4 events per 100 square miles against 3.9 statewide; the county holds 38 of the state's 3,741 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Wind hub and the county page.