Central Point
Population 19,139 (2025)
26 large wildfires have burned within 25 miles of Central Point since 1984.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 198426
- Major flood years since 1978, Jackson County3
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Jackson County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Jackson County.
Snowiest season
31.6in
Winter of 1955-56
Tornadoes
No tornado is recorded here in the Storm Prediction Center database, which begins in 1950.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
26 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
September 8, 2020
S Obenchain Fire, 32,853 acres
12.0 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
June 20, 2024
Upper Applegate 3900 Fire
1,137 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Upper Applegate 3900 | 2024 | 14.6 | 1,137 |
| Almeda Drive | 2020 | 6.9 | 3,034 |
| S Obenchain | 2020 | 12.0 | 32,853 |
| Ramsey Canyon | 2018 | 13.6 | 2,125 |
| Grave Creek #3 | 2018 | 19.7 | 9,308 |
| Hendrix | 2018 | 19.4 | 1,121 |
| Snow Shoe | 2018 | 23.5 | 3,934 |
| Burnt Peak | 2017 | 21.1 | 4,315 |
| Doubleday | 2008 | 18.8 | 1,685 |
| Wasson | 2005 | 19.2 | 1,461 |
| East Antelope | 2002 | 14.3 | 1,885 |
| Squire Peak | 2002 | 11.0 | 3,126 |
| Timbered Rock | 2002 | 24.2 | 26,786 |
| Quartz | 2001 | 16.7 | 6,714 |
| Sprignette Butte | 1994 | 15.6 | 1,879 |
| Hull Mountain | 1994 | 10.0 | 8,488 |
| Walker Creek | 1992 | 16.4 | 1,390 |
| East Evans | 1992 | 9.9 | 10,344 |
| Walker Mtn | 1988 | 23.6 | 2,300 |
| Pleasnt Cr | 1988 | 21.9 | 1,864 |
| Star Gulch | 1987 | 16.2 | 1,769 |
| Sykes Crk | 1987 | 14.8 | 9,579 |
| Ninemile | 1987 | 19.2 | 1,868 |
| Savage Crk | 1987 | 13.8 | 3,880 |
| Angel Camp | 1987 | 24.0 | 3,092 |
| Cantrall | 1987 | 14.1 | 2,382 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2021: 62 days
Heavy smoke on 46 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
31.9 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
14 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 13 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
304 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $2.5 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Jackson County, the county that contains Central Point.
Most claims in one year
1997: 126 claims
$1.1 million paid.
2nd most
2005: 43 claims
$686,000 paid.
3rd most
1996: 40 claims
$312,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 97502 | 55 | $407,000 |
| 97524 | 42 | $364,000 |
| 97520 | 34 | $438,000 |
| 97526 | 25 | $519,000 |
| 97537 | 24 | $218,000 |
| 97504 | 21 | $110,000 |
| 97527 | 20 | $61,000 |
| 97525 | 20 | $118,000 |
| 97530 | 20 | $48,000 |
| 97501 | 17 | $44,000 |
| 97539 | 9 | $45,000 |
| 97540 | 8 | $72,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood17
- Flash Flood5
- Heavy Rain1
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Jackson County, the county that contains Central Point.
Most severe crest
December 23, 1964
Rogue River below Gold Ray Dam, 23.43 ft
11.43 feet above the 12.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
January 1, 1997
Applegate River near Applegate, 17.90 ft
Major flooding.
River gauges
| Applegate River near Applegate | 13.0 | 20.41 ft | 6 |
| Bear Creek at Medford | 10.0 | 14.69 ft | 1 |
| Rogue River Lost Creek Lake | 1,873.0 | 1,882.24 ft | 0 |
| Rogue River below Gold Ray Dam | 12.0 | 23.43 ft | 4 |
| Rogue River near Eagle Point | 10.0 | 15.17 ft | 1 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 100 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 13 months.
The drought index is for Jackson County, the county that contains Central Point.
100
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
19
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
August 2021
−5.17, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
13 months
April 2021 to April 2022.
Latest month
September 2026
−3.65, severe drought
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides
10 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 6.0 in 1993.
67
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
10
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
3
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
September 20, 1993
27 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon; 43.5 miles away, 5.3 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
April 30, 2020
Magnitude 3.1
19 km SW of Ashland, Oregon; 22.1 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Jan 19, 1994 | 4.3 | 49.6 |
| Dec 25, 1993 | 4.0 | 49.6 |
| Dec 4, 1993 | 5.1 | 46.4 |
| Sep 22, 1993 | 4.1 | 44.2 |
| Sep 20, 1993 | 4.3 | 43.9 |
| Sep 20, 1993 | 6.0 | 43.5 |
| Sep 20, 1993 | 5.9 | 45.3 |
| Aug 23, 1961 | 4.6 | 14.9 |
| Jul 8, 1956 | 4.9 | 36.9 |
| Sep 2, 1931 | 4.5 | 40.1 |
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Volcanoes within 100 miles
| Crater Lake | 55.5 | Very high |
| Cinnamon Butte | 72.3 | Very low |
| Mount Shasta | 76.4 | Very high |
| Medicine Lake volcano | 87.5 | High |
- U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.
USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
Landslides mapped in Jackson County.
2,859
Landslides mapped, probable or better
284
With a recorded date
3
Source inventories
Mapped by OR DOGAMI (2,839), NASA (19), West Coast Slow Moving (Yuankun and others, 2021) (1).
- Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.
USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
585 events in the National Weather Service record for Jackson County, 557 of them since 1996.
40
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
30
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
162
Winter weather events since 1996
19
Heat events since 1996
148
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
July 13, 1964
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
July 13, 2002
92 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 6 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 2 | 2 |
| Avalanches | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Sep 8, 2020Wildfire, Jackson County$10.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Almeda Drive Wildfire started on 09/08/20 in the morning. The cause is under investigation. As of the last report at 0630 PDT on 09/15/20, the fire had burned 3200 acres and was 100 percent contained. This fire burned in a greenway and an adjacent urban area. 2,482 residential structures, 173 commercial buildings, and four public buildings were destroyed. An additional 123 residential structures, 25 commercial buildings, and 1 public building were damaged. There were three fatalities. 721 thousand dollars had been spent on firefighting efforts, but the estimated cost of cleanup is 170 million dollars. 3,614 structures reviewed, 2,482 structures destroyed, 123 structures…
- Dec 26, 2005Flood, Jackson County$5.8 million
National Weather Service narrative
Estimated total damage in Jackson County. 392 homes and businesses damaged. A major slide on I-5 near Siskiyou Summit caused 2 million in damage, mostly to a road drainage system.
- Aug 24, 2010Wildfire, Jackson County$3.1 million
National Weather Service narrative
Weather conditions were hot and dry at the time of the fire. Ashland recorded a high temperature of 98 degrees with relative humidities in the single digits.
- Jan 3, 2008High Wind, Jackson County$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
High winds knocked down many trees in the Jackson County forests, which in turn caused one death and damaged many structures and vehicles. While the highest recorded gust in the area was 52 mph, winds must have been much higher in the Butte Falls and Lake Creek areas. A Gold Hill woman was killed when a tree fell on her vehicle around 04/0610 PST. Around 50 trees were reported down around Butte Falls, where the elementary school, at least two houses, and at least one vehicle were heavily damaged. Many areas lost electricity and communications, and the power was not restored to some areas for several days.
- Dec 10, 2014High Wind, Jackson County$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
Sensor DW6803 at Science Works in Ashland recorded sporadic high wind gusts during this interval, with a peak gust of 74 mph recorded at 11/0303 PST and a sustained wind of 15 mph. The data from this source is suspect, but there were numerous reports of wind damage on this morning from around Jackson County, and there was one fatality when a tree fell on a camper's tent. The Medford Mail Tribune reported that the roof was blown off of one Medford business and a smaller building collapsed. A city-owned barn in Ashland lost part of its roof. Numerous power lines were down and there were power failures affecting 16000 people. Dozens of trees were felled, some of them falling on cars.…
- Jul 16, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$160,000
National Weather Service narrative
More than 2 dozen pine trees of 1 to 2 ft. diameter snapped or fell, as well as a 3.5 to 4 ft. diameter tree that fell and demolished a fence. A tree fell on a power line in Central Point, which destroyed a mobile home and caused a 15 acre wildfire.
- Jul 8, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
National Weather Service narrative
Strong winds downed 13 110 ft. tall wooden power poles along Highway 238 between Central Point and Jacksonville. A car was totaled after it drove into one of the poles. There were many fallen trees and limbs, which damaged 3 vehicles in Central Point. Power lines also were downed along Table Rock Rd. in Medford.
- May 31, 2009Lightning$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
A strong thunderstorm with frequent lightning caused structural damage...power outages...local urban flooding and one injury. A McDonald's employee was injured when lightning struck the restaurant while he was unloading the dishwasher. Full recovery was expected. A manufactured home was partially burned by a fire caused by a lightning strike. Several intersections in Medford and Central Point were flooding by heavy rain. More than 14,000 customers lost power at some point during the storm. All but 891 of those customers had power restored within two hours.
- Jul 11, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
Strong straight-line winds associated with a thunderstorm swept through portions of Jackson County. Numerous downed large trees were reported, and some of them damaged vehicles and trailers when they fell. Most of the damage was reported near the city of Rogue River. No injuries or deaths were reported.
- Aug 30, 2007High Wind, Jackson County$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
A city of Ashland emergency manager reported numerous trees down around the city, including one that was 4 feet in diameter that fell through a house. Two large trees in Garfield Park were also down. The fire department reported 12 calls for downed power lines, but it is not known how many of these calls were for the same line.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Medford International Airport, 1.7 miles from the city centre, with records from 1928.
- All-time high
- 115°F2 times, most recently Jun 28, 2021
- All-time low
- −6°F3 times, most recently Dec 10, 1972
- Warmest night
- 77°FJul 30, 2022
- Coldest day
- 15°FDec 9, 1972
- Wettest day
- 3.30 inDec 2, 1962
- Snowiest day
- 8.3 inJan 3, 2017
- Hottest year
- 2014mean 58.9°F
- Coldest year
- 1948mean 51.4°F
- Wettest year
- 199631.41 in
- Driest year
- 20138.99 in
- Snowiest season
- 31.6 in1955-56
Median first snow
December 21
Earliest: October 27, 1956
Median last snow
February 26
Latest: May 5, 1988
8 of 91 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Medford International Airport (USW00024225), 1,313 ft elevation, 1.7 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1928 to October 27, 2026; 99.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
21 since 1953. The most recent: Fielder Mountain Fire, August 14, 2026.
Declarations for Jackson County.
| Aug 14, 2026 | Fire | FM-5670-OR |
| Jun 18, 2025 | Fire | FM-5590-OR |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | DR-4562-OR |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Fire | EM-3542-OR |
| Sep 9, 2020 | Fire | FM-5367-OR |
| Sep 9, 2020 | Fire | FM-5364-OR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | DR-4499-OR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3429-OR |
| Aug 24, 2018 | Fire | FM-5274-OR |
| Jul 19, 2018 | Fire | FM-5256-OR |
| Aug 1, 2014 | Fire | FM-5066-OR |
| Sep 22, 2009 | Fire | FM-2838-OR |
| Mar 20, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1632-OR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3228-OR |
| Sep 6, 2003 | Fire | FM-2496-OR |
| Jul 28, 2002 | Fire | FM-2454-OR |
| Jul 17, 2002 | Fire | FM-2445-OR |
| Jan 23, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1160-OR |
| Apr 29, 1977 | Drought | EM-3039-OR |
| Jan 25, 1974 | Flood | DR-413-OR |
| Dec 24, 1964 | Flood | DR-184-OR |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00024225.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
- Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.