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 Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- 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.
Strongest tornado
F1
March 8, 1960, 1.0 mile path
Federal disaster declarations
15
Most recent: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Landslides, and Mudslides, 2024
DetailsSnowiest 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.
Every recorded tornado
| Aug 6, 2025 | EFU | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 2023 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 29, 2018 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 4, 2009 | EF0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 28, 2007 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 21, 2003 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 17, 1997 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 1, 1997 | F0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 22, 1994 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 8, 1960 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- 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.
- 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.
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
| 97330 | 18 | $259,000 |
| 97321 | 15 | $83,000 |
| 97333 | 13 | $75,000 |
| 97370 | 12 | $42,000 |
| 97456 | 6 | $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.
River gauges
| Long Tom River at Monroe | 9.0 | 10.42 ft | 0 |
| Marys River near Philomath | 20.0 | 21.53 ft | 1 |
| Willamette River at Corvallis | 30.0 | 42.40 ft | 6 |
- 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
- 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
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.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Oct 7, 2022 | 4.4 | 35.9 |
| Jul 4, 2015 | 4.1 | 39.9 |
| Mar 25, 1993 | 5.6 | 46.0 |
| Mar 7, 1963 | 4.6 | 34.0 |
| Aug 18, 1961 | 4.5 | 39.3 |
- 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
| Sand Mountain volcanic field | 67.8 | Very low |
| Mount Jefferson | 73.1 | Low |
| Belknap Crater | 73.6 | Low |
| Blue Lake Crater | 75.0 | Low |
| Three Sisters | 81.3 | Very high |
| Mount Bachelor | 88.6 | Moderate |
| Mount Hood | 95.3 | Very high |
| Davis Lake volcanic field | 96.8 | Very low |
- 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).
- 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
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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.
| Apr 13, 2024 | Severe Storm | DR-4768-OR |
| May 4, 2021 | Severe Storm | DR-4599-OR |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | DR-4562-OR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | DR-4499-OR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3429-OR |
| Apr 4, 2014 | Severe Storm | DR-4169-OR |
| Mar 2, 2012 | Flood | DR-4055-OR |
| Feb 22, 2007 | Severe Storm | DR-1683-OR |
| Mar 20, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1632-OR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3228-OR |
| Feb 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1510-OR |
| Mar 19, 1996 | Severe Storm | DR-1107-OR |
| Feb 9, 1996 | Flood | DR-1099-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 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.