Oregon Tornadoes 1887 - 1995
Persons Persons
No. Location Date killed injured Damage Scale Description
1 Cottage Grove Jan. In a letter (dated January 19,
19, 1887) to the January 22, 1887, in
1887 the Eugene City Guard, a Cottage
Grove resident described a
"genuine cyclone of small
proportions" in the vicinity of
Cottage Grove. The tornado
twisted a large (four foot)
diameter fir tree from its roots,
picked up a couple of sheep and
carried them for 200 yards, and
tore down fences. The observer
reported that the width of the
storm track was only 30 yards.
The tornado, described as being
"funnel-shaped," damaged no homes.
2 Lexington, Jun. 6 4 A tornado which formed near
Long Creek 14, Jordan Butte, northwest of
1888 Lexington, (Morrow County) on the
afternoon of June 14, 1888, swept
through Lexington, Sand Hollow
and Pine City, and destroyed 30
buildings including 2 schools.
Six people, including two
children at the school were
killed; Four others were
injured. A second tornado
supposedly struck the Long creek
area at about the same time,
tearing up considerable timber in
the Monument area.
3 Long Creek Jun. 3 3 4 One of the most noted of all
14, Oregon tornadoes was the Long
1895 Creek tornado, which killed three
people, injured several, and did
considerable damage in Grant
County on June 14,1895. Long
Creek, in particular, was struck
by the tornado with such
violence, that of the buildings
in its path, not a trace remained
after the storm. One resident,
L.W. Solawn, was picked up by the
wind and carried over the top of
a store, but fortunately landed
safely on a pile of hay. Long
Creek lost its school, its mill,
in addition to several
residences. Damage totaled
$5,000.
4 Bay City Jun. The June 1897 issue of the Oregon
(near 14, Climitalogical Data, included a
Tillamook) 1897 report by Captain John J. Dawson,
cooperative weather observer at
Bay City (near Tillamook) that
"on June 14, 1897 a tornado about
40 rods wide, passed over this
station...."
5 Between Jun. The day after the disastrous
Meacham and 15, Heppner Flood a tornado touched
Huron 1903 down between Meacham and Huron.
The East Oregonian, in its issue
of June 17, 1903, stated that on
June 15, the tornado twisted
hundreds of trees, including some
large pines three feet in
diameter, and uprooted telegraph
poles for a distance of 8 miles.
6 Mount Tabor Feb. 3 4 On February 26, 1904, a tornado
(East 26, struck the vicinity of Mount
Portland) 1904 Tabor on Portland's east side.
Four houses were destroyed.
Others were moved off their
foundations. Damage totaled
$5,000. The Oregonian, February
27, 1904, reported that the
tornado, spotted at 10:42 a.m.,
was "not unlike a giant express
train... Its width was 50 to 100
feet and its height several times
that." The Oregonian included a
photo of the Starbuck residence
which was virtually wrecked by
the tornado.
7 East Portland Mar. What was described as a "cyclonic
19, storm" (Oregonian, March 21,
1904 1904) hit part of East Portland,
March 19, 1904, destroying
several shacks, doing
considerable damage to the Lewis
and Clark fairgrounds, and
demolishing a large warehouse.
8 Condon Apr. 4 What was tabbed as a "baby
15, cyclone" by the Condon Globe and
1925 Times (April 17, 1925), swept
through Condon on April 15, 1925,
wrecking the county machinery
warehouse, tearing down the
Washington Lumber Company
Warehouse, and taking the tops
off autos. Altogether, the
tornado did $10,000 damage during
its six-mile path.
9 SW of Salem Nov. 3 The tornado, which was estimated
Polk County 11, to have been 150 feet wide,
1925 passed north of Independence,
then moved over the Liberty
district of Salem. Witnesses
(Capital Journal, November 12,
1925) told of hearing the tornado
5-10 minutes before it arrived.
In its five mile path, the
tornado touched the ground in
only a few places, but along the
way, destroyed barns, fruit
dryers, removed buildings from
their foundations, tore up trees
in orchards and uprooted many
large oak and fir trees. Fir
limbs were found driven several
feet into the ground almost a 1/4
mile from where any trees were
growing. As it passed over the
Willamette River, the tornado
sucked up quantities of water and
gravel high into the air.
Persons Persons
No. Location Date killed injured Damage Scale Description
10 McMinnville Feb. It appears that this was a small
19, tornado. It apparently felled
1926 many trees and destroyed a huge
"dry house." From several
accounts it seems that there may
have been four or five separate
whirlwinds in a bunch that
lowered from the storm.
11 Clatskanie Oct. The Oregon Journal, October 12,
12, 1934, briefly reported that a
1934 twister was seen near Clatskanie
(about 40 miles east of Astoria).
The tornado which was about 30
feet wide, narrowly missed Mr.
Olof Sodestrom who was, at the
time, working in a field.
12 Baker County Jun.16, 0 1 4 This seems to have been a very
1937 significant tornado. A barn was
wrecked, a brick church was moved
about 15 inches off its
foundation, small buildings were
turned completely over and a
garage was lifted and thrown to
the side leaving the car standing
untouched where the garage had
been. A cow was carried 60 feet
through the air and deposited
upside down without hair or skin!
A women was injured when she was
entangled by a barbed wire fence
during the storm.
13 Brownsville Sept.8, The Oregonian, September 8, 1938,
(20 miles SE 1938 featured a photo of the writhing
of Albany) tail of a tornado dropping
earthward from black thunder
clouds in Brownsville. The
tornado was first spotted south
and east of Halsey. The central
portion of the funnel was quite
distinct from the walls and
appeared translucent and of a
light smoky blue color. The
surrounding walls were much
blacker and the extreme portion
quit black and appeared like
black puffs of smoke which
climbed constantly upwards upon
its twisting pillar
14 Sherwood Oct. A tornado which ripped a path
(Washington 1, 1940 across a cornfield near Scholb
County) (Washington County on October 1,
1940), frightened residents of
the area but did little damage.
It passed with a roar over the
Grover School, lashing a black
tail groundward from the sky.
15 Eugene Dec. 0 0 F1 This small tornado moved along
6, 1951 the ground for about 500 yards in
a path 50 yards wide. It lifted
a 30 x 32 foot barn 300 feet into
the air, spreading timbers over a
half-mile area. It lasted for
only about 13 minutes.
16 Seneca June The Burns Times-Harold, in its
25, June 27, 1952 edition, reported
1952 that two days earlier a "twister"
struck in spots along a twenty
mile path in the Logan Valley
near Seneca.
17 Corvallis Jan. A "miniature tornado" struck
20, Corvallis January 20, 1953. The
1953 twister, which suddenly appeared
out of dark clouds at 8 a.m.,
struck the downtown area. During
its brief presence, it "exploded"
one building, passed close to the
Roosevelt school, then crossed
the Willamette River before
disappearing. Accompanying the
tornado were rain and hail which
fell in sheets, causing more
damage to businesses than did the
twister.
18 Tualatin Oct. 0 0 0 F0 This very small tornado occurred
Valley about 22, between Hillsboro and Orenco. It
15 miles 1954 lasted less than 10 minutes and
west of was only a few yards in diameter.
Portland It caused no damage.
19 Sandy Area Apr. F1 A small tornado struck near
12, Sandy. It was about 35 to 50
1957 yards in diameter. It uprooted
large fir trees and lifted them
40 feet into the air. A large
barn was carried several hundred
yards and roofs were torn off
houses. The path was about 3
miles in length.
Persons Persons
No. Location Date killed injured Damage Scale Description
20 Gilliam and Apr. F0 This moderate tornado occurred at
Morrow 12, almost the same time as the one
Counties 1957 mentioned above. It touched down
west of Ione and rapidly moved
towards Lexington. It was nearly
a quarter mile wide in places and
traveled on the ground for nearly
20 miles. Very little damaged
occurred because this area was
mostly range land.
21 Almsville Mar. 0 0 3 F1 A small but fairly violent
8, 1960 tornado skipped over a path about
a mile long, but only a few yards
wide. It damaged several farms
and uprooted some trees.
22 Coquille April This small tornado was spotted 2
28, miles west of Coquille. The
1960 funnel, which lasted just a few
minutes, reached halfway to the
ground at its greatest extent.
The top of the tornado, spinning
violently, suddenly took on the
appearance of a stopped up air
hose and withdrew first slowly
then very rapidly. The base
cloud then turned very dark and
torrential rains began to fall.
23 10 miles May 0 0 3/4 F1 A very small but confirmed
south of 19, tornado move through a farming
Klamath Falls 1962 area south of Klamath Falls. It
demolished one hay barn and
caused other slight damage.
24 Rainier Nov 10 0 0 3 F0 This small tornado began on the
1965 South bank of the Columbia River
and proceeded to cross the river
producing a small waterspout.
Two buildings were damaged.
25 Forest Grove Jun. 0 0 3/4 F0 A very small short-lived tornado
23, moved through a corn field and
1966 prune orchard. Thirty or so
prune trees were uprooted.
26 Adrian to Aug. 0 0 4/5 F1 This tornado moved along a narrow
Oregon 25, path just west of the heavily
border just 1966 populated Nyssa and Ontario area.
north of Damage consisted of telephone
Ontario poles and trees being twisted
off. Several farm buildings were
destroyed along with some hay and
hops crops.
27 Seaside Oct. 0 0 3 F0 A very small tornado moved
20, through about one block of the
1966 city. A few stores had windows
smashed, telephone lines were
downed and outdoor signs were
demolished along with other minor
damage to buildings.
28 Malheur Jun. 0 0 5 F0 The first of two tornadoes in the
County 21, area on this date. This was much
1967 more damaging then the second.
It was short lived, with a path
only 10 yards long and 3 yards
wide.
29 Sheaville 13 Jun. 0 0 0 F0 This occurred near Upper Cow
W Malheur 21, Creek Lake and was on the ground
County 1967 for only about 30 seconds. No
damage was reported.
Persons Persons
No. Location Date killed injured Damage Scale Description
30 3 miles Oct. 0 0 4 F1 This tornado began over the ocean
southwest of 3, 1967 and moved inland about a half
Astoria mile before dissipating. Several
Airport homes were damaged, along with a
few other commercial buildings.
31 30 miles Jun. 0 0 7 F2 This storm struck in very
north of 11, uninhabited timber land. There
Enterprise 1968 were no good eyewitnesses;
however, cccounts of the storm
stated at the time, the "sky was
as black as coal." Timber
reported that the winds sounded
like a "100 freight trains
roaring past." Based on damage,
the tornado in spots appeared to
have a width of nearly two
miles. It lasted only about five
minutes at any observed point,
but destroyed or badly damaged
3,000 acres of prime timber. The
tornado appeared to travel along
the ground for almost 10 miles.
Very little is known about this
specific tornado but from the
path of damage it caused it may
well have been one of the
strongest tornadoes ever to
strike the Northwest.
32 20 miles Oct. 0 0 0 F0 A funnel cloud briefly touched
west of 13, the ground. No damage is known
Portland 1968 to have occurred.
33 40-60 miles Jun. 0 0 4 F1 This small tornado touched down
south of 23, in the remote Southeast corner of
Jordan Valley 1969 Oregon. Damage consisted mainly
of the destruction of grain
fields.
34 Southwestern May 0 0 0 F0 This small tornado touched down
Wasco County 11, just east of highway 26 about 10
1970 miles northwest of Warmsprings.
It lasted only a short time and
caused no damage.
35 McMinnville May 0 0 3 F0 This was a small slow moving
25, tornado which touched down near a
1971 rural home. It unroofed the barn
and damaged the house. The
tornado moved along a .4 mile
long path damaging fir trees
before lifting back into the
cloud base.
36 Portland Area Apr. 0 0 5 F1 The tornado touched down near
5, 1972 Portland at the south shore of
the Columbia River damaging 4
pleasure boat morages on Marine
Drive, 50 cabin cruisers, boat
houses and dock shelters. It
then crossed the Columbia drawing
water up with it The tornado
continued on its 9 mile long path
in Washington, near Vancouver
where it caused 6 deaths, 300
injuries and 5-6 million dollars
in damage.
37 50 miles Sep. 0 0 1 F0 This small tornado was observed
northeast of 21, from about 10 miles away as it
Lakeview 1973 crossed open, uninhabited country.
38 Newport Dec. This apparent tornado ripped
13, through Newport in the evening
1973 with the passage of a squall
line. It tore off the roof of a
real estate building, several
windows blown out, two other
roofs damaged and a garage moved
off its foundation.
39 10 miles Apr. 0 0 4 F1 The tornado traveled along the
southwest of 23, Oregon-Idaho border, demolishing
Nyssa 1974 a large farm building and the
machinery in it. It also lifted
another small building completely
off the ground.
Persons Persons
No. Location Date killed injured Damage Scale Description
40 Eugene Aug. 0 0 This tornado occurred near Eugene
18, but was not well documented. It
1975 apparently destroyed a metal
building but caused no injuries.
The amount of damage caused is
unknown.
41 Baker Sep. 0 0 1 This very small tornado only
16, briefly touched down in an open
1975 field near Baker causing no
damage.
42 Tillamook Dec. 0 0 6 F1 This was a moderate tornado which
12, caused considerable damage to the
1975 Tillamook area. The twister
touched down near Tillamook and
traveled along the ground for up
to 2 miles. It passed very near
KTIL radio station which recorded
90 mph winds as it passed.
43 Gresham Aug. 0 0 4 F1 A small tornado touched down near
16, Gresham causing some damage to
1978 buildings and crops. It was on
the ground only briefly.
44 Scappose Aug. 0 0 5 This apparent tornado caused
Columbia 20, moderate damage when it struck a
County 1978 mobile home, and scattered pieces
for 1/4 mile. However, no
injuries or deaths occurred in
the area
45 Amity Aug. 0 0 4 Another apparent tornado struck
Yamhill 20, the Amity area only a couple of
County 1978 hours after the Scappose tornado.
It caused small amounts of damage
and was determined to be a
tornado only after later visits
and inspection of the area.
46 5 - 10 miles May 0 0 1 Several funnel clouds were
south of 23, observed in the area. Some of
Klamath Falls 1979 them touched down as tornadoes
briefly. No damage or injuries
were reported.
47 Sandy Aug. The tornado's path was over two
20, miles long. An observer to the
1979 storm, Robert Lee, (Oregonian,
August 22, 1979) described it as
"a black roll cloud like a
vertical cliff approaching,
spitting lightning in a brilliant
barrage...." It rained so hard
that he could not see "four feet
in front." Harold Butler, Sandy,
stated that he saw a funnel snake
down out of the cloud touching
the ground here and there.
Damage included that to a house
under construction, which was
flattened, and to others that
were hit by falling trees. A
storage building full of
machinery was blown apart. Power
service through the Sandy area
was temporarily knocked out.
48 Brookings Mar. 0 0 4 F0 A small tornado touched down
22, southeast of Brookings near the
1983 California-Oregon border causing
some minor damage. The twister
was only on the ground for a few
yards but was up to 15 yards
wide.
49 20 miles Jun. 0 0 3 F0 A short lived tornado touched
south of 21, down near the LaGrande area. It
LaGrande 1983 caused only slight damage most
likely to fields and/or timber.
Persons Persons
No. Location Date killed injured Damage Scale Description
50 Bend Jun. 0 0 3 F0 A small tornado touched down a
22, few miles southeast of Bend for a
1983 brief time. It crossed open
range country causing only slight
damage.
51 Woodland Apr. 0 0 3 F0 This small tornado touched down
Heights 18, about 8.5 miles south of
Yamhill 1984 McMinnville. It lasted only
County briefly but tore the roof off a
large barn. Witnesses saw debris
being drawn up into the cloud in
a circular pattern.
52 2 miles May 0 0 4 F0 This small tornado touched down
south of 14, at the location of the Eugene
Junction City 1984 Livestock Auction, damaging a
barn and shelter located there.
53 Aurora Oct. 0 0 4 F0 A small tornado destroyed a
26, machine shed on the Leighton
1984 Whitsett Case Road Farm. Shed
debris was scattered as far as a
half a mile away.
54 Waldport Nov. 0 0 5 F1 This tornado touched down near
2, 1984 Waldport and proceeded to move
through town. It ripped several
portions of a motel roof off,
damaged several cars and
overturned an RV.
55 Bend Aug. 0 0 4 F1 This tornado touched down about 5
22, miles east of Bend. Two shed
1989 roofs were blown off parts off
which were never found. The
tornado also uprooted juniper
trees and embedded broken window
glass into a chest of draws in a
house. Witnesses saw large metal
roof pieces being rotated up into
the sky.
56 Eugene Nov. 0 0 4 F1 The tornado touched down in the
24, hills south of Eugene. It caused
1989 telephone pulls to break in half.
It also uprooted several tall fir
trees which fell on two houses
and a camper causing significant
damage but no injuries.
57 Gresham Apr. 0 0 2 F0 Very small, weak tornado touched
9, 1991 down near Gresham. Very slight
damage.
58 Umatilla May 1, 0 0 1 F0 This small tornado touched down
County near 1991 in wheat fields near Pendleton
Pendleton causing little if any damage. It
was visible from the National
Weather Service in Pendleton.
59 Troutdale Nov. 0 0 4 F1 This tornado caused significant
12, damage to eighty feet of fencing
1991 as it touched down near
Troutdale. It also tore off part
of a roof and ripped out the wall
of a steel building.
Persons Persons
No. Location Date killed injured Damage Scale Description
60 Tualatin Nov. 0 0 4 F1 The second tornado of the day in
12, Oregon touched down near an
1991 office district in Tualatin. It
lifted two dumpsters and threw
them into a parked van and sucked
open an office door, ripping out
the ceiling tiles.
61 Silverton Nov. 0 0 4 F0 The third tornado of the day in
12, northwest Oregon! It was smaller
1991 then the other two but it ripped
through a 700 square foot barn
causing significant damage.
62 Hells Canyon Jul. 0 0 3 F0 This tornado touched down near
Dam 22, Hells Canyon Dam. A family
1992 trying to escape the storm got
into their car. The twister
apparently went right over their
car, blowing out the passenger
windows, lifting it 2 or 3 feet
and pummeling it with debris.
The car was totaled but there
were no injuries.
63 5 miles Jul. 0 0 1 F0 A weak tornado touched down north
north of 16, of Madras. It traveled about a
Madras 1993 half mile, knocking over several
trees before retreating back into
the cloud.
64 Newburg Dec. 0 0 6 F2 This F2 tornado was the most
8. 1993 powerful tornado in Oregon in
many years. It started as a
coldfront that came with a deep
surface low along the coast that
moved across the Willamette
Valley. Six veal calves were
killed, a dairy farm was damaged
roofs were blown off some small
buildings, and many trees were
broken. People reported that the
funnel was sucking water from the
Willamette River as it moved
northeast. There, it greatly
damaged a mobile home park. A
tree at least 2 feet in diameter
was snapped off six feet above
the ground and hit a two story
house. Remarkably, no one was
injured.
65 Clatsop Feb. 0 0 2 F0 A weak tornado touched down
County near 13, briefly at Kamper's West Park
Warrenton 1994 near Warrenton. It lifted 20
wooden picnic tables 40 feet into
the air and deposited them 200
yards away.
66 Albany Mar. 0 0 2 F0 A small tornado touched down near
22, a shopping area in Albany. It
1994 blew out a stor window and
damaged some merchandise inside
but overall damage was very
limited.
67 Happy Valley Mar. F0 A small tornado was sighted in
Harney County 11, east-central Harney County. The
1995 area is very sparsely populated
and no other information was
available.
68 Baker City May F0 A very small tornado touched down
11, briefly near the Sheriff's office
1995 in downtown Baker City. There
was no damage or injuries
reported.
69 A few miles Jul. 0 0 1 F0 Workers at the Simplot Plant
southeast of 9, 1995 Southeast of Hermiston spotted a
Hermiston tornado that touched down for
about two minutes in a nearby
wheat field causing no damage.
Legend
Damage
Category Cost
1 Less than $50
2 $50 to $500
3 $500 to $5,000
4 $5,000 to $50,000
5 $50,000 to $500,000
6 $500,000 to $5 million
7 $5 million to $50 million
8 $50 million to $500 million
9 $500 million to $5 billion
Scale
Category Speed (mph) Damage Description
F0 Gale tornado 40-72 Light Some damage to chimneys and signs. Branches break off trees;
shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F1 Moderate tornado 73-112 Moderate The lower limit (73 mph) is the beginning of hurricane wind
speed. Surfaces are peeled off roofs; mobile homes pushed off
foundations or overturned. Moving autos are pushed off the roads.
F2 Significant 113-157 Considerable Roofs are torn off frame houses and mobile homes demolished.
tornado Boxcars are pushed over, large trees are snapped or uprooted,
and light-object missiles generated
F3 Severe tornado 158-206 Severe Roofs and some walls are torn off well-constructed houses;
trains are overturned. Most trees in forests are uprooted, heavy
cars are lifted off ground and thrown.
F4 Devastating 207-260 Devastating Well-constructed houses are leveled; structures with weak
tornado foundations are blown off and travel some distance. Cars are
thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 Incredible tornado 261-318 Incredible Incredible tornado (261-318 mph); incredible damage Strong frame
houses are lifted off foundations and carried considerable
distance to disintegrate. Automobile-sized missiles fly through
the air in excess of 100 meters. Trees are debarked. Incredible
phenomena will occur