Corvallis

Population 61,499 (2025)

10 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Corvallis since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on August 6, 2025.

Hazard fingerprint for Corvallis Tornado: 8th percentile. Tropical: 0th percentile. Wildfire: 0th percentile. Flood: 35th percentile. Hail & wind: 2th percentile. Heat: 0th percentile. Cold: 9th percentile. Winter: 2th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195010

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 Benton 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 Benton County.

Flood insurance claims

70

Benton County

$544,000 paid since 1980

Details

Tornadoes since 1950, within 25 mi

10

0 rated F3/EF3 or stronger

Details

Strongest tornado

F1

March 8, 1960, 1.0 mile path

Largest earthquake within 50 mi

5.6magnitude

March 25, 1993, 46.0 miles away

Details

Federal disaster declarations

15

Most recent: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Landslides, and Mudslides, 2024

Details

Record high

110°F

June 28, 2021

Details

Record low

2°F

Reached 7 times, most recently December 9, 2009

Details

Snowiest season

103.0in

Winter of 1949-50

Tornadoes

About one every 7.6 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

March 8, 1960

F1, 1.0 mile path

10 yards wide.

Most recent

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

EFU, 0.1 mile path

Within the past year.

Tornadoes by decade, within 25 miles Doppler radar era² 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 3 3 2010s: 1 1 2020s: 2 2 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 0 F: 0 M: 2 A: 0 M: 0 J: 4 4 J: 0 A: 1 S: 2 O: 1 N: 0 D: 0 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes within 25 miles since 1950
Aug 6, 2025EFU0.13000
Jun 18, 2023EF00.315000
Oct 29, 2018EF00.11000
Jun 4, 2009EF01.515000
Sep 28, 2007EF01.035000
Jun 21, 2003F10.33000
Sep 17, 1997F01.05000
Jun 1, 1997F01.52300
Mar 22, 1994F00.11000
Mar 8, 1960F11.01000
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
  2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.

Wildfire and smoke

No large wildfire has been mapped within 25 miles since satellite mapping began in 1984.

Smoke overhead

Smokiest year

2021: 29 days

Heavy smoke on 15 days in 2021, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

17.1 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

5 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 16 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 5 2012: 13 2013: 3 2014: 13 2015: 14 2016: 1 2017: 18 2018: 23 2019: 2 2020: 22 2021: 29 29 2022: 26 2023: 22 2024: 23 2025: 5 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the city centre, 2011 to 2025.
  1. 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

70 federal flood insurance claims since 1980, with $544,000 paid.

Flood insurance figures are for Benton County, the county that contains Corvallis.

Federal flood insurance claims by year 1996: 23 23 1997: 5 2006: 5 2012: 14 1996
Claims per year since 1980. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Most claims in one year

1996: 23 claims

$188,000 paid.

2nd most

2012: 14 claims

$168,000 paid.

3rd most

1997: 5 claims

$19,000 paid.

Claims by ZIP code

Flood insurance claims by ZIP code
9733018$259,000
9732115$83,000
9733313$75,000
9737012$42,000
974566$45,000

Flood events since 1996

  • Flood25
  • Heavy Rain10

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 Benton County, the county that contains Corvallis.

Most severe crest

December 1, 1861

Willamette River at Corvallis, 42.40 ft

12.40 feet above the 30.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.

Most recent moderate or major crest

December 19, 2025

Marys River near Philomath, 21.01 ft

Moderate flooding.

Highest river crests above flood stage
Dec 1, 1861Willamette River at Corvallis42.40+12.40Major
Dec 29, 1945Willamette River at Corvallis38.20+8.20Major
Jan 2, 1943Willamette River at Corvallis38.10+8.10Major
Jan 8, 1948Willamette River at Corvallis36.80+6.80Major
Jan 19, 1953Willamette River at Corvallis36.20+6.20Major
Dec 24, 1964Willamette River at Corvallis36.00+6.00Major
Jan 19, 2012Marys River near Philomath21.53+1.53Major
Feb 11, 1961Willamette River at Corvallis35.90+5.90Moderate
Dec 15, 1946Willamette River at Corvallis35.60+5.60Moderate
Jan 18, 1971Willamette River at Corvallis35.40+5.40Moderate
Oct 30, 1950Willamette River at Corvallis35.20+5.20Moderate
Dec 7, 1981Willamette River at Corvallis34.90+4.90Moderate
Dec 23, 1955Willamette River at Corvallis34.80+4.80Moderate
Dec 13, 1948Willamette River at Corvallis34.10+4.10Moderate
Jan 17, 1974Willamette River at Corvallis34.00+4.00Moderate
Dec 4, 1980Willamette River at Corvallis33.80+3.80Moderate
Mar 3, 1972Willamette River at Corvallis33.50+3.50Moderate
Feb 9, 1996Willamette River at Corvallis33.50+3.50Moderate
Feb 23, 1948Willamette River at Corvallis33.20+3.20Moderate
Nov 25, 2016Marys River near Philomath21.21+1.21Moderate
Dec 18, 2015Marys River near Philomath21.10+1.10Moderate
Dec 30, 2005Marys River near Philomath21.07+1.07Moderate
Dec 3, 2007Marys River near Philomath21.03+1.03Moderate
Jan 3, 2022Marys River near Philomath21.02+1.02Moderate
Dec 19, 2025Marys River near Philomath21.01+1.01Moderate

River gauges

River gauges and their highest listed crests
Long Tom River at Monroe9.010.42 ftJan 15, 19740
Marys River near Philomath20.021.53 ftJan 19, 20121
Willamette River at Corvallis30.042.40 ftDec 1, 18616
  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 79 of 1,581 months since 1895 (5%); the longest spell lasted 10 months.

The drought index is for Benton County, the county that contains Corvallis.

79

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

6

Months in extreme drought

5%

Share of all months, severe or worse

Lowest reading

August 2026

−4.47, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

10 months

April 1939 to January 1940.

Latest month

September 2026

−3.58, severe drought

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 0 1898: 0 1899: 0 1900: 0 1901: 0 1902: 0 1903: 0 1904: 0 1905: 0 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 0 1911: 0 1912: 0 1913: 0 1914: 0 1915: 0 1916: 0 1917: 0 1918: 0 1919: 0 1920: 0 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 6 1925: 0 1926: 4 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 4 1930: 2 1931: 3 1932: 0 1933: 0 1934: 3 1935: 2 1936: 1 1937: 0 1938: 0 1939: 9 9 1940: 1 1941: 3 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 3 1945: 1 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 0 1951: 0 1952: 1 1953: 0 1954: 0 1955: 0 1956: 0 1957: 0 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 0 1964: 0 1965: 0 1966: 0 1967: 1 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 1 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 0 1988: 0 1989: 0 1990: 0 1991: 0 1992: 9 1993: 2 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 0 2001: 4 2002: 0 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 2 2006: 0 2007: 0 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 5 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 1 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 1 2022: 0 2023: 1 2024: 0 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  1. 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

5 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.6 in 1993.

27

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

5

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

1

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

March 25, 1993

Magnitude 5.6

4 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon; 46.0 miles away, 12.2 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

November 23, 2025

Magnitude 3.2

5 km SE of Amity, Oregon; 35.4 miles away.

Earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles, by year 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 0 1988: 0 1989: 0 1990: 0 1991: 0 1992: 0 1993: 6 6 1994: 0 1995: 2 1996: 1 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 2 2000: 1 2001: 0 2002: 0 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 2 2007: 1 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 1 2013: 0 2014: 1 2015: 1 2016: 1 2017: 1 2018: 1 2019: 2 2020: 2 2021: 0 2022: 1 2023: 0 2024: 0 2025: 1 19731978198319881993199820032008201320182023
Per year, 1973 to 2025.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

Earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
Oct 7, 20224.435.98.216 km ESE of Lacomb, Oregon
Jul 4, 20154.139.94.916 km ENE of Springfield, Oregon
Mar 25, 19935.646.012.24 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon
Mar 7, 19634.634.0—Oregon
Aug 18, 19614.539.320.56 km SSW of Mill City, Oregon
  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.
  2. 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

Volcanoes within 100 miles
Sand Mountain volcanic field67.8Very low5,459
Mount Jefferson73.1Low10,495
Belknap Crater73.6Low6,873
Blue Lake Crater75.0Low4,035
Three Sisters81.3Very high10,358
Mount Bachelor88.6Moderate9,068
Mount Hood95.3Very high11,240
Davis Lake volcanic field96.8Very low4,902
  1. 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 Benton County.

5,365

Landslides mapped, probable or better

174

With a recorded date

3

Source inventories

Mapped by OR DOGAMI (5,319), NASA (43), USGS Conterminous (3).

  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

59 events in the National Weather Service record for Benton County, 56 of them since 1996.

0

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

0

Hail, 2 inches or larger

1

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

3

Winter weather events since 1996

0

Heat events since 1996

2

Cold events since 1996

Strongest measured or estimated gust

June 4, 2009

82 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
Lightning100Jul 13, 2014

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Jan 18, 2012Flood$3.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rain caused the Marys River near Philomath to overflow its banks and cause record flooding to surrounding areas. The Marys River crested at 21.5 feet on January 19th at 1 pm PST, 1.5 feet above flood stage.

  2. Jul 13, 2014Lightning$11,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Abundant lightning resulted in around 1000 PGE customers without power in the Albany and Corvallis area. A public caller reported that a large tree struck from lightning fell onto a home.

  3. Dec 17, 2015Flood$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rain resulted in flooding of the Mary River near Philomath. There was also a landslide that closed westbound highway 34 near Alsea.

  4. May 1, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$5,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Strong winds blew into the Corvallis area from late afternoon into the evening. A Corvallis spotter reported numerous trees down all over town, and a tree fell on a garage on Peavy Arboretum road between Lewisburg and Adair Village. Thunderstorms were reported in Corvallis around the same time.

  1. 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 Corvallis Water Bureau, 9.8 miles from the city centre, with records from 1963.

All-time high
110°FJun 28, 2021
All-time low
2°F7 times, most recently Dec 9, 2009
Warmest night
71°FJun 28, 2021
Coldest day
19°F2 times, most recently Feb 4, 1989
Wettest day
6.29 inNov 19, 1996
Snowiest day
36.0 inJan 31, 1937
Hottest year
2021mean 54.1°F
Coldest year
2009mean 48.7°F
Wettest year
1950107.05 in
Driest year
194439.31 in
Snowiest season
103.0 in1949-50
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Corvallis Water Bureau 32°F 46° 32° 11.1 Jan 50° 32° 8.8 Feb 55° 34° 8.4 Mar 61° 37° 4.9 Apr 69° 42° 2.7 May 74° 46° 1.4 Jun 83° 50° 0.3 Jul 84° 50° 0.3 Aug 77° 46° 1.8 Sep 65° 40° 4.7 Oct 52° 35° 10.5 Nov 46° 32° 13.8 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Days reaching 95°F per year 1974: 3 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 6 1978: 5 1979: 2 1980: 1 1981: 7 1982: 1 1983: 0 1984: 1 1985: 2 1986: 0 1987: 2 1988: 2 1989: 0 1990: 4 1991: 0 1992: 6 1993: 1 1994: 1 1995: 1 1996: 4 1997: 0 1998: 2 1999: 0 2000: 0 2001: 0 2002: 0 2003: 6 2004: 3 2005: 3 2006: 7 2007: 1 2008: 10 2009: 5 2010: 6 2011: 2 2012: 3 2013: 1 2014: 7 2015: 17 17 2016: 9 2017: 13 2021: 14 2022: 12 2023: 11 19741984199420042014
Days reaching 95°F each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 5.1.
Snowfall by winter 1975: 3.0 in 1976: 0.5 in 1977: 0.1 in 1978: 1.3 in 1979: 5.8 in 1980: 0.5 in 1981: 10.6 in 1982: 0.0 in 1983: 7.3 in 1985: 10.2 in 1986: 0.0 in 1987: 6.0 in 1988: 35.8 in 35.8 1989: 28.3 in 1990: 3.9 in 1991: 0.0 in 1992: 26.9 in 1993: 3.9 in 1994: 17.1 in 1995: 4.5 in 1996: 0.0 in 1997: 1.0 in 1998: 6.0 in 1999: 4.5 in 2000: 0.0 in 2001: 17.7 in 2002: 0.0 in 2003: 14.5 in 2004: 0.2 in 2005: 4.7 in 2006: 8.8 in 2007: 10.2 in 2008: 14.6 in 2009: 0.0 in 2013: 5.0 in 2014: 0.0 in 2015: 0.0 in 2016: 6.8 in 2017: 0.4 in 2020: 0.4 in 2021: 14.6 in 2022: 3.0 in 2023: 4.0 in 2024: 4.0 in 19751986199620062021
Total snowfall each winter (July to June), last 50 winters.

Median first snow

December 26

Earliest: November 2, 2003

Median last snow

February 23

Latest: April 20, 2008

21 of 71 winters had no measurable snow.

Station Corvallis Water Bureau (USC00351877), 592 ft elevation, 9.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1963 to October 25, 2026; 92.7% 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

15 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Landslides, and Mudslides, April 13, 2024.

Declarations for Benton County.

Federal disaster declarations
Apr 13, 2024Severe StormSevere Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4768-OR
May 4, 2021Severe StormSevere Winter StormMajor disasterDR-4599-OR
Sep 15, 2020FireWildfires and Straight-Line WindsMajor disasterDR-4562-OR
Mar 28, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4499-OR
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3429-OR
Apr 4, 2014Severe StormSevere Winter StormMajor disasterDR-4169-OR
Mar 2, 2012FloodSevere Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4055-OR
Feb 22, 2007Severe StormSevere Winter Storm and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1683-OR
Mar 20, 2006Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-1632-OR
Sep 7, 2005Coastal StormHurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergencyEM-3228-OR
Feb 19, 2004Severe StormSevere Winter StormsMajor disasterDR-1510-OR
Mar 19, 1996Severe StormSevere Storms and High WindsMajor disasterDR-1107-OR
Feb 9, 1996FloodHigh Winds, Severe Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1099-OR
Jan 25, 1974FloodSevere Storms, Snowmelt & FloodingMajor disasterDR-413-OR
Dec 24, 1964FloodHeavy Rains & FloodingMajor disasterDR-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 USC00351877.
  • 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.