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Washington County, Oregon
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
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. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
The NCEI record lists 77 events for Washington County, Oregon, between 1950 and 2026; other events account for the largest share.
That is 10.6 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Oregon figure of 11.7, and 1.3 per 10,000 residents against 26.5 statewide.
0 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 0 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $5.7M.
FEMA has designated the county in 17 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Lee Falls Fire (fire management assistance, 9 Aug 2024).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 408 claims since 1978, of which 306 were paid, totalling $5.5M (about $18K per paid claim). FEMA counts 1,044 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively High" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively High" ($270M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Oregon and the United States
| Measure | Washington County | Oregon | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 77 | 11,234 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 10.6 | 11.7 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 1.3 | 26.5 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 0 | 94 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 2 | 360 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $5.7M | $5.0B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.4 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $18K | $24K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 1.8 | 3.1 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 55 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 18 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Share of state's events | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ■ Other | 28 | — | 5.1% | |
| ■ Flood | 26 | 2 | 3.1% | detail |
| ■ Hail | 8 | — | 0.9% | |
| ■ Tornado | 6 | — | 4.5% | |
| ■ Lightning | 5 | — | 4.2% | |
| ■ Wind | 4 | — | 0.1% |
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Dec 2007 | Flood | Flood | — | $2.3M | — | 1 | — | County |
| 4 Dec 2023 | Flood | Flood | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 7 Dec 2015 | Flood | Flood | — | $2.3M | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Dec 2015 | Flood | Flood | — | $283K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Aug 2003 | Lightning | Lightning | — | $150K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Dec 2015 | Flood | Flood | — | $141K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 2014 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $140K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Oct 2018 | Tornado | Tornado | EF0 | $100K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 2024 | FM-5529 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Lee Falls Fire | Public assistance |
| 15 Sep 2020 | DR-4562 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds | Public assistance |
| 10 Sep 2020 | FM-5371 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Chehalem Mountain Bald Peak Fire | Public assistance |
| 10 Sep 2020 | EM-3542 | Emergency | Fire | Wildfires | Public assistance |
| 8 Sep 2020 | FM-5358 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Powerline Fire | Public assistance |
| 28 Mar 2020 | DR-4499 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3429 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 17 Feb 2016 | DR-4258 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 2 Mar 2009 | DR-1824 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Record And Near Record Snow | Public assistance |
| 8 Dec 2007 | DR-1733 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 7 Sep 2005 | EM-3228 | Emergency | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 19 Mar 1996 | DR-1107 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And High Winds | Public assistance |
| 9 Feb 1996 | DR-1099 | Major disaster | Flood | High Winds, Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 Apr 1993 | DR-985 | Major disaster | Earthquake | Earthquake | Public assistance |
| 25 Jan 1974 | DR-413 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 21 Jan 1972 | DR-319 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 24 Dec 1964 | DR-184 | Major disaster | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | $26,551 | $26,551 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2022 | 3 | 1 | $28,978 | $28,978 |
| 2021 | 2 | 1 | $9,698 | $9,698 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | $12,654 | $12,654 |
| 2019 | 3 | 2 | $18,592 | $9,296 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | $5,357 | $5,357 |
| 2017 | 6 | 3 | $17,498 | $5,833 |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | $18,708 | $9,354 |
| 2015 | 33 | 28 | $693,443 | $24,766 |
| 2014 | 9 | 9 | $269,871 | $29,986 |
| 2013 | 2 | 1 | $3,808 | $3,808 |
| 2012 | 3 | 2 | $8,872 | $4,436 |
| 2011 | 3 | 2 | $3,917 | $1,959 |
| 2010 | 13 | 10 | $295,300 | $29,530 |
| 2009 | 16 | 13 | $184,589 | $14,199 |
| 2008 | 2 | 1 | $8,512 | $8,512 |
| 2007 | 27 | 23 | $491,949 | $21,389 |
| 2006 | 9 | 5 | $40,413 | $8,083 |
| 2005 | 4 | 2 | $38,791 | $19,395 |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 | $705 | $705 |
| 2003 | 7 | 6 | $29,005 | $4,834 |
| 2002 | 4 | 2 | $9,640 | $4,820 |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | $162,855,270 | |
| Inland flooding | $80,552,082 | |
| Heat wave | $11,160,501 | |
| Cold wave | $9,365,791 | |
| Tornado | $1,775,122 | |
| Strong wind | $1,696,467 | |
| Ice storm | $1,376,507 | |
| Lightning | $1,017,083 | |
| Winter weather | $216,465 | |
| Hail | $151,124 | |
| Wildfire | $64,957 | |
| Landslide | $43,274 | |
| Volcanic activity | $15,778 | |
| Avalanche | $11 | |
| Drought | $0 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
- 97005 78
- 97062 68
- 97223 61
- 97225 46
- 97007 24
- 97229 24
- 97123 21
- 97116 17
- 97224 13
- 97078 12
- 97124 12
- 97106 10
- 97008 6
- 97003 5
- 97006 5
- 97113 5
- 97119 5
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Washington County, OR?
NCEI records 8 hail events in Washington County since 1950, in 7 different years; that is about 0.1 recorded events a year. 1 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Washington County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 6 tornadoes in Washington County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Washington County?
9 Aug 2024: Lee Falls Fire, a fire management assistance declaration for fire. The county appears in 17 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Washington County, and how much was paid?
408 NFIP claims since 1978, 306 of them paid, for $5.5M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Washington County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively High" for overall risk, "Relatively High" for expected annual loss, "Very Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Washington County compare with the rest of Oregon?
10.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 11.7 statewide, and 0.7 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 1.4. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.