Hillsboro
Population 111,126 (2025)
26 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Hillsboro since 1950, 1 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on September 27, 2021.
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 195026
- Major flood years since 1978, Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County.
Strongest tornado
F3
April 5, 1972, 8.7 mile path
Snowiest season
44.5in
Winter of 1949-50
Tornadoes
About one every 2.9 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
Monday, September 27, 2021
EF0, 3.9 mile path
5 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Sep 27, 2021 | EF0 | 3.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 10, 2020 | EF0 | 1.7 | 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 29, 2018 | EF0 | 0.1 | 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 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26, 2009 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 10, 2008 | EF1 | 10.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 13, 2004 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 2004 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 9, 2000 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 28, 2000 | F0 | 0.1 | 1 | 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 |
| Apr 9, 1991 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 16, 1978 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 5, 1972 | F3 | 8.7 | 300 | 6 |
| Jun 23, 1966 | F0 | 0.3 | 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: 28 days
Heavy smoke on 13 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
16.2 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
8 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 20 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
408 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $5.5 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Washington County, the county that contains Hillsboro.
Most claims in one year
1996: 179 claims
$3.0 million paid.
2nd most
2015: 33 claims
$693,000 paid.
3rd most
2007: 27 claims
$492,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 97005 | 78 | $569,000 |
| 97223 | 61 | $661,000 |
| 97062 | 57 | $1.5 million |
| 97225 | 46 | $764,000 |
| 97007 | 24 | $128,000 |
| 97229 | 21 | $149,000 |
| 97123 | 21 | $285,000 |
| 97116 | 17 | $459,000 |
| 97224 | 13 | $294,000 |
| 97124 | 12 | $158,000 |
| 97078 | 12 | $89,000 |
| 97106 | 10 | $35,000 |
| 97008 | 6 | $71,000 |
| 97003 | 5 | $78,000 |
| 97006 | 5 | $15,000 |
| 97113 | 5 | $55,000 |
| 97119 | 5 | $80,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood26
- Heavy Rain20
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 Washington County, the county that contains Hillsboro.
Most severe crest
February 9, 1996
Tualatin River at Farmington, 37.20 ft
5.20 feet above the 32.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
December 11, 2015
Tualatin River at Farmington, 34.02 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Fanno Creek at Durham | 9.1 | 11.78 ft | 0 |
| Gales Creek near Forest Grove | 16.5 | 17.05 ft | 0 |
| Tualatin River at Farmington | 32.0 | 37.20 ft | 3 |
| Tualatin River at Tualatin | 118.0 | — | 0 |
| Tualatin River near Dilley | 17.5 | 19.27 ft | 0 |
- 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 89 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 13 months.
The drought index is for Washington County, the county that contains Hillsboro.
89
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
10
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
July 1924
−4.63, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
13 months
August 2018 to August 2019.
Latest month
September 2026
−2.68, moderate drought
Last severe month: August 2026.
- 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
8 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.6 in 1993.
46
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
8
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
3
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
March 25, 1993
4 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon; 37.5 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; 25.1 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Mar 25, 1993 | 5.6 | 37.5 |
| Dec 26, 1963 | 4.5 | 25.4 |
| Mar 7, 1963 | 4.6 | 45.9 |
| Nov 5, 1962 | 5.2 | 17.0 |
| Nov 6, 1961 | 4.5 | 28.5 |
| Aug 4, 1959 | 4.7 | 34.1 |
| Nov 16, 1957 | 4.0 | 44.8 |
| Dec 15, 1953 | 5.0 | 11.5 |
- 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 | 47.9 | Low |
| Mount St. Helens | 59.0 | Very high |
| Indian Heaven Volcanic Field | 60.6 | Low |
| Mount Hood | 61.0 | Very high |
| Mount Jefferson | 80.9 | Low |
| Mount Adams | 83.9 | High |
| Sand Mountain volcanic field | 93.2 | Very low |
| Blue Lake Crater | 95.7 | 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 Washington County.
6,060
Landslides mapped, probable or better
382
With a recorded date
2
Source inventories
Mapped by OR DOGAMI (6,040), NASA (20).
- 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
88 events in the National Weather Service record for Washington County, 81 of them since 1996.
5
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
3
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
5
Winter weather events since 1996
1
Heat events since 1996
4
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
May 12, 1993
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
June 4, 2009
60 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 5 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Dec 7, 2015Flood$2.3 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain resulted in flooding of the Tualatin River near Dilly, and of many small creeks between Beaverton and Gaston. Around 50 homes sustained flood damage and many roads were closed including Highway 217 in Beaverton (during the evening commute).
- Dec 3, 2007Flood$2.3 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Tualatin River near Dilley flooded, causing flood damage to homes in the area and leaving some roads impassable. Old Hwy. 47 and Hwy. 47 were closed temporarily due to combined flooding of a couple creeks with the Tualatin River. Near the area, a 54 year old male drown in Hedges Creek, a tributary of the Tualatin River. NOTE: Damage estimates are for the entire county of Washington.
- Dec 9, 2015Flood$283,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain resulted in flooding of the Tualatin River near Dilley. High water flooded local businesses and residences.
- Aug 5, 2003Lightning$150,000
National Weather Service narrative
Lightning struck a tree, and burning embers fell through an open window, starting a fire in both the interior and exterior of the home. Damage was estimated at $150,000.
- Dec 18, 2015Flood$141,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Tualatin River flooded near Farmington and Dilley.
- Jun 25, 2014Heavy Rain$140,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain from convective showers resulted in significant flooding near Beaverton. Flooding was reported of four homes, four apartments, several garages, the Winterhawks Skating Center, and a community pool. The city Public Works Director reported 2.3 inches of rain per hour, a personal weather station reported 2.29 inches of rain over 2 hours, and the National Weather Service Doppler radar estimated 1.7 inches per hour. A car stalled in a flooded high water in an underpass near the US 26-US 217 interchange. The cost damage is an estimate based on reports from the General Manager of the Skating Center and previous history of similar residential damage.
- Oct 29, 2018Tornado$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
Multiple greenhouse structures were damaged at a farm on Thatcher Road. Witness accounts also confirmed a tornado. The tornado was likely on the ground for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Nov 20, 2024Heavy Rain$75,000
National Weather Service narrative
Oregon Department of Transportation reported in a KG8 media web article that heavy rain was the likely reason for the sinking and cracking of State Route 6 near the Gales Creek Campground Turnout. The westbound lane was closed November 20th and 21st.
- Oct 31, 2015Heavy Rain$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain combined with clogged drains resulted in small stream and urban flooding. There were 16 instances where water or agricultural debris needed to be cleared from roadways. At least two residential basements were flooded in Beaverton. A large basement of an office building was flooded in Hillsboro.
- Sep 15, 2013Lightning$28,000
National Weather Service narrative
A tree hit by lightning fell and damaged two homes in Aloha.
- 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, 16.5 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, 16.5 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
17 since 1953. The most recent: Lee Falls Fire, August 9, 2024.
Declarations for Washington County.
| Aug 9, 2024 | Fire | FM-5529-OR |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | DR-4562-OR |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Fire | EM-3542-OR |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Fire | FM-5371-OR |
| Sep 8, 2020 | Fire | FM-5358-OR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | DR-4499-OR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3429-OR |
| Feb 17, 2016 | Severe Storm | DR-4258-OR |
| Mar 2, 2009 | Severe Storm | DR-1824-OR |
| Dec 8, 2007 | Severe Storm | DR-1733-OR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3228-OR |
| Mar 19, 1996 | Severe Storm | DR-1107-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.