Happy Valley
Population 28,916 (2025)
27 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Happy Valley since 1950, 1 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on October 22, 2022.
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 195027
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 19846
- Major flood years since 1978, Clackamas County5
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 Clackamas 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 Clackamas County.
Strongest tornado
F3
April 5, 1972, 8.7 mile path
Federal disaster declarations
23
Most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, 2026
DetailsTornadoes
About one every 2.8 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
April 5, 1972
F3, 8.7 mile path
440 yards wide; 6 killed along the whole path.
Most recent
Saturday, October 22, 2022
EF0, 0.9 mile path
4 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Oct 22, 2022 | EF0 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 27, 2021 | EF0 | 3.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 13, 2020 | EF0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 8, 2019 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 1, 2019 | EF0 | 1.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 28, 2018 | EF0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 12, 2017 | EF0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 12, 2017 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 24, 2017 | EF0 | 2.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 10, 2015 | EF1 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 21, 2013 | EF0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26, 2009 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 10, 2008 | EF1 | 10.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 2004 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 9, 2000 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 9, 2000 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 11, 2000 | F0 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3, 1998 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1997 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 8, 1993 | F2 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 12, 1991 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 12, 1991 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 9, 1991 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26, 1984 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 5, 1972 | F3 | 8.7 | 300 | 6 |
| Oct 13, 1968 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 12, 1957 | F1 | 2.5 | 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
6 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
September 8, 2020
Riverside Fire, 138,087 acres
16.0 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
August 25, 2023
Camp Creek Fire
2,056 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Camp Creek | 2023 | 19.3 | 2,056 |
| Nakia Creek | 2022 | 20.0 | 1,739 |
| Riverside | 2020 | 16.0 | 138,087 |
| Dowty Rd | 2020 | 8.0 | 1,428 |
| Eagle Creek | 2017 | 18.2 | 48,787 |
| 36 Pit | 2014 | 19.0 | 5,834 |
- 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: 32 days
Heavy smoke on 14 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
17.9 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
8 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 22 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
816 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $24.6 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Clackamas County, the county that contains Happy Valley.
Most claims in one year
1996: 437 claims
$15.5 million paid.
2nd most
2025: 54 claims
$2.9 million paid.
3rd most
2009: 45 claims
$1.4 million paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 97222 | 118 | $3.8 million |
| 97068 | 98 | $2.7 million |
| 97045 | 90 | $3.9 million |
| 97267 | 71 | $1.8 million |
| 97034 | 66 | $3.8 million |
| 97035 | 46 | $1.1 million |
| 97022 | 40 | $1.6 million |
| 97013 | 38 | $828,000 |
| 97042 | 38 | $396,000 |
| 97049 | 25 | $1.4 million |
| 97038 | 25 | $400,000 |
| 97067 | 24 | $347,000 |
| 97011 | 23 | $272,000 |
| 97089 | 22 | $741,000 |
| 97002 | 13 | $260,000 |
| 97015 | 13 | $364,000 |
| 97027 | 13 | $148,000 |
| 97055 | 12 | $20,000 |
| 97062 | 11 | $305,000 |
| 97070 | 8 | $87,000 |
| 97009 | 6 | $56,000 |
| 97206 | 5 | $42,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood38
- Heavy Rain21
- Flash Flood1
2 deaths recorded in flood events since 1996.
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 Clackamas County, the county that contains Happy Valley.
Most severe crest
February 5, 1890
Willamette River below Falls at Oregon City, 50.50 ft
23.50 feet above the 27.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
December 19, 2025
Molalla River near Canby, 23.48 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Abernethy Creek at Mompano Reservoir | 183.0 | — | 0 |
| Clackamas River near Estacada | 20.0 | 30.36 ft | 5 |
| Clackamas River near Oregon City | 39.0 | 46.56 ft | 1 |
| Johnson Creek at Milwaukie | 30.3 | 31.30 ft | 0 |
| Molalla River at Shady Dell near Molalla 2ESE | 10.5 | — | 0 |
| Molalla River near Canby | 20.0 | 26.76 ft | 3 |
| Molalla River near Wilhoit | 8.0 | — | 0 |
| Sandy River near Bull Run | 19.3 | 22.59 ft | 4 |
| Tualatin River at West Linn | 13.5 | 18.32 ft | 5 |
| Willamette River above Falls at Oregon City | 64.0 | 71.30 ft | 10 |
| Willamette River below Falls at Oregon City | 27.0 | 50.50 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 87 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 6 months.
The drought index is for Clackamas County, the county that contains Happy Valley.
87
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
9
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
August 2021
−4.46, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
6 months
June 2015 to November 2015.
Latest month
September 2026
−3.27, 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
11 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.6 in 1993.
66
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
11
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
4
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
March 25, 1993
4 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon; 28.0 miles away, 12.2 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
October 22, 2026
Magnitude 3.0
3 km W of Columbia City, Oregon; 35.5 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Jun 29, 2002 | 4.5 | 40.5 |
| Mar 25, 1993 | 5.6 | 28.0 |
| Dec 12, 1974 | 4.1 | 45.7 |
| Dec 26, 1963 | 4.5 | 46.9 |
| Mar 7, 1963 | 4.6 | 40.1 |
| Nov 5, 1962 | 5.2 | 12.4 |
| Nov 6, 1961 | 4.5 | 19.1 |
| Sep 17, 1961 | 5.1 | 44.8 |
| Sep 15, 1961 | 4.8 | 43.9 |
| Aug 4, 1959 | 4.7 | 20.8 |
| Dec 15, 1953 | 5.0 | 10.3 |
- 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
| West Crater volcanic field | 37.1 | Low |
| Mount Hood | 39.7 | Very high |
| Indian Heaven Volcanic Field | 47.7 | Low |
| Mount St. Helens | 55.2 | Very high |
| Mount Jefferson | 62.9 | Low |
| Mount Adams | 72.5 | High |
| Sand Mountain volcanic field | 78.1 | Very low |
| Blue Lake Crater | 79.3 | Low |
| Belknap Crater | 85.9 | Low |
| Three Sisters | 98.9 | Very 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 Clackamas County.
8,920
Landslides mapped, probable or better
922
With a recorded date
5
Source inventories
Mapped by OR DOGAMI (8,853), NASA (55), USGS Conterminous (5), West Coast Slow Moving (Yuankun and others, 2021) (5), USGS Seismogenic Mass Movements (2).
- 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
276 events in the National Weather Service record for Clackamas County, 274 of them since 1996.
6
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
13
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
106
Winter weather events since 1996
8
Heat events since 1996
11
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
August 4, 1999
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
June 19, 2005
81 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 8 | 0 |
| Debris flows | 3 | 0 |
| Avalanches | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Sep 7, 2020High Wind, North Oregon Cascades$1.0 billion
National Weather Service narrative
The Horse Creek RAWS (HSFO3) recorded a peak gust of 66 mph.
- Jan 16, 2011Flood$9.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Oregon Department of Transportation reported approximately nine million dollars in damage to roads during the January 15 - 16 winter storm. The heaviest damages to roads were in the Welches, Zigzag, and Lolo Pass area of Clackamas County.
- Jan 16, 2011Flood$9.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain combined with snowmelt runoff resulting in the flooding of the Sandy River. The Sandy River at Bull Run crested at 21.8 feet (61,600 cfs) on January 16th at 21:48 PST. This was the third highest flow on record.
- Nov 7, 2006Flood$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Sandy River near Bull Run crested at flood stage of 19.3 on November 7th.
- Jan 19, 2012Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain combined with snowmelt runoff caused the Molalla River near Canby to overflow its banks and flood low lying areas. The Molalla River crested at 23 feet on January 19th at 8 pm PST.
- Jan 19, 2012Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain combined with snowmelt runoff caused the Pudding River at Aurora to overflow its banks and flood low lying areas. The Pudding River crested at 27.8 feet on January 20th at 12 pm PST, 5.8 feet above flood stage.
- Dec 7, 2015Flood$381,000
National Weather Service narrative
Flooding of Johnson Creek and of the Clackamas River resulted in significant damage to businesses, homes, and vehicles in Milwuakie, Clackamas, Boring, Lake Oswego, and Happy Valley. Around 50 homes were evacuated and eight people were rescued. High water and debris flow closed several roads in the area.
- Jan 2, 2009Flood$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain combined with snowmelt runoff caused the Clackamas river to overflow its banks and floods areas near Estacada. Flood waters submerged 11 pumps in the waste water treatment plant in Estacada. The water water treatment plant was out of commission for 2 weeks. Significant flood damage also occurred to the Estacada library.
- Dec 18, 2015Flood$128,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Pudding River flooded near Aurora on the 18th, then remained near flood stage through December 24. The Clackamas River flooded near Estacada on December 18th.
- Jan 2, 2009Heavy Rain$75,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain washed out an exit ramp off of interstate 205 near West Linn.
- 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 Portland International Airport, 12.2 miles from the city centre, with records from 1938.
- All-time high
- 116°FJun 28, 2021
- All-time low
- −3°FFeb 2, 1950
- Warmest night
- 75°FJun 28, 2021
- Coldest day
- 14°FDec 30, 1968
- Wettest day
- 2.69 inNov 19, 1996
- Snowiest day
- 14.4 inJan 21, 1943
- Hottest year
- 2015mean 57.4°F
- Coldest year
- 1964mean 50.1°F
- Wettest year
- 199663.20 in
- Driest year
- 198522.48 in
- Snowiest season
- 44.5 in1949-50
Median first snow
December 22
Earliest: October 5, 1950
Median last snow
February 14
Latest: April 12, 2022
22 of 84 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Portland International Airport (USW00024229), 22 ft elevation, 12.2 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1938 to October 27, 2026; 100.0% 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
23 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, April 7, 2026.
Declarations for Clackamas County.
| Apr 7, 2026 | Severe Storm | DR-4907-OR |
| Apr 13, 2024 | Severe Storm | DR-4768-OR |
| Sep 10, 2022 | Fire | FM-5454-OR |
| May 4, 2021 | Severe Storm | DR-4599-OR |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | DR-4562-OR |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Fire | FM-5370-OR |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Fire | EM-3542-OR |
| Sep 9, 2020 | Fire | FM-5366-OR |
| Sep 8, 2020 | Fire | FM-5356-OR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | DR-4499-OR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3429-OR |
| Feb 17, 2016 | Severe Storm | DR-4258-OR |
| Sep 16, 2014 | Fire | FM-5080-OR |
| Feb 17, 2011 | Severe Storm | DR-1956-OR |
| Mar 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | DR-1824-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 |
| Feb 9, 1996 | Flood | DR-1099-OR |
| Apr 26, 1993 | Earthquake | DR-985-OR |
| Jan 25, 1974 | Flood | DR-413-OR |
| Jan 21, 1972 | Flood | DR-319-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 USW00024229.
- 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.