Klamath Falls

Population 22,111 (2025)

5 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Klamath Falls since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on May 28, 2019.

Hazard fingerprint for Klamath Falls Tornado: 2th percentile. Tropical: 0th percentile. Wildfire: 81th percentile. Flood: 1th percentile. Hail & wind: 2th percentile. Heat: 56th percentile. Cold: 99th percentile. Winter: 81th 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 19505
  • Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 198428

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 Klamath 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 Klamath County.

Large wildfires within 25 mi

28

Largest: Beaver Complex, 2014

Details

Tornadoes since 1950, within 25 mi

5

0 rated F3/EF3 or stronger

Details

Flood insurance claims

10

Klamath County

$207,000 paid since 1982

Details

Strongest tornado

F1

May 19, 1962, 0.5 mile path

Largest earthquake within 50 mi

6.0magnitude

September 20, 1993, 17.2 miles away

Details

Federal disaster declarations

18

Most recent: Wrights Spring Fire, 2026

Details

Record high

103°F

Reached 2 times, most recently July 29, 2022

Details

Record low

−25°F

January 23, 1962

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 15 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

May 19, 1962

F1, 0.5 mile path

20 yards wide.

Most recent

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

EF0, 0.0 mile path

7 years ago.

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

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes within 25 miles since 1950
May 28, 2019EF00.01000
Apr 17, 2007EF01.01000
Apr 17, 2004F00.2000
May 30, 1995F00.11000
May 19, 1962F10.52000
  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

28 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.

Largest

July 31, 2014

Beaver Complex, 35,178 acres

22.7 miles from the city centre.

Most recent

September 1, 2024

Copperfield Fire

3,700 acres in total.

Acres burned by large fires within 25 miles, cumulative 1987: 7,7161989: 1,5371994: 3,2151995: 1,0291996: 1,0981997: 2,1311998: 9,9562000: 5,0732001: 2,2942002: 2,6672004: 1,0732005: 3,5582009: 2,9172014: 37,7142019: 1,3612021: 1,2642022: 2,6822023: 2,2242024: 5,238 94,747 acres 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Running total of acres burned (line) and each year’s acres (bars).

Every large fire

Large wildfires since 1984
Copperfield202422.33,700
Knot202424.61,538
Golden202320.62,224
Van Meter202210.92,682
Cutoff202119.61,264
Ward201922.11,361
Beaver Complex201422.735,178
Moccasin Hill201424.82,536
Lease Land Co Op Fields200919.71,386
Unit 13 A200921.61,531
Simpson20055.12,276
Orems 3200517.51,282
Orems Iii200417.61,073
Unit 13 A200221.61,448
6 A200217.21,219
Indian Springs200122.42,294
Unit 13200021.61,028
Unit 2200015.32,115
12 B200020.21,930
Refuge199822.09,956
Tule Marsh199723.22,131
Lower Lk 219968.21,098
Switchback199518.01,029
Spence199410.21,088
Tule Marsh199423.22,127
Tule Marsh198923.71,537
Kitts Mill198724.43,180
Cowboy198718.34,536
  1. 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: 69 days

Heavy smoke on 49 days in 2021, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

27.8 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

9 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 16 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 2 2012: 21 2013: 10 2014: 17 2015: 25 2016: 3 2017: 22 2018: 47 2019: 11 2020: 44 2021: 69 69 2022: 26 2023: 14 2024: 33 2025: 9 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

10 federal flood insurance claims since 1982, with $207,000 paid.

Flood insurance figures are for Klamath County, the county that contains Klamath Falls.

Federal flood insurance claims by year 1997: 5 5 1997
Claims per year since 1982. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Most claims in one year

1997: 5 claims

$177,000 paid.

Claims by ZIP code

Flood insurance claims by ZIP code
976249$200,000

Flood events since 1996

  • Flood7
  • Flash Flood3

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 Klamath County, the county that contains Klamath Falls.

Most severe crest

December 23, 1964

Sprague River near Beatty, 12.19 ft

3.69 feet above the 8.5 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.

Most recent moderate or major crest

January 5, 1997

Williamson River below Chiloquin, 10.27 ft

Moderate flooding.

Highest river crests above flood stage
Dec 23, 1964Sprague River near Beatty12.19+3.69Major
Jan 2, 1997Sprague River near Beatty11.50+3.00Moderate
Jan 5, 1997Williamson River below Chiloquin10.27+1.27Moderate
Jan 24, 1970Sprague River near Beatty10.01+1.51Minor
Feb 10, 2017Sprague River near Beatty9.59+1.09Minor
Dec 23, 1955Sprague River near Beatty9.44+0.94Minor
Dec 20, 1981Sprague River near Beatty9.38+0.88Minor
Feb 8, 1996Sprague River near Beatty9.30+0.80Minor
Jan 1, 2006Sprague River near Beatty9.17+0.67Minor
Mar 9, 1986Sprague River near Beatty8.83+0.33Minor
Feb 2, 1963Sprague River near Beatty8.82+0.32Minor
Mar 3, 1972Sprague River near Beatty8.76+0.26Minor
Mar 10, 1989Sprague River near Beatty8.64+0.14Minor
Jan 19, 1971Sprague River near Beatty8.54+0.04Minor
May 12, 1958Sprague River near Beatty8.51+0.01Minor
May 23, 1967Sprague River near Beatty8.44−0.06Action
May 1, 2006Sprague River near Beatty8.26−0.24Action
Feb 12, 1996Williamson River below Chiloquin8.61−0.39Action
Feb 27, 1957Sprague River near Beatty8.06−0.44Action
May 18, 2005Sprague River near Beatty8.00−0.50Action

River gauges

River gauges and their highest listed crests
Sprague River near Beatty8.512.19 ftDec 23, 19641
Williamson River below Chiloquin9.010.27 ftJan 5, 19970
  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 144 of 1,581 months since 1895 (9%); the longest spell lasted 20 months.

The drought index is for Klamath County, the county that contains Klamath Falls.

144

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

34

Months in extreme drought

9%

Share of all months, severe or worse

Lowest reading

August 2021

−5.93, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

20 months

October 2020 to May 2022.

Latest month

September 2026

−3.07, 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: 1 1919: 0 1920: 1 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 5 1925: 0 1926: 6 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 5 1930: 7 1931: 10 1932: 1 1933: 0 1934: 7 1935: 0 1936: 2 1937: 1 1938: 0 1939: 9 1940: 0 1941: 0 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 0 1945: 0 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 0 1951: 0 1952: 0 1953: 0 1954: 0 1955: 2 1956: 0 1957: 0 1958: 0 1959: 1 1960: 1 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 0 1964: 0 1965: 0 1966: 0 1967: 0 1968: 1 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 2 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 1 1977: 4 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 2 1988: 3 1989: 0 1990: 0 1991: 1 1992: 9 1993: 0 1994: 4 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 0 2001: 10 2002: 6 2003: 4 2004: 0 2005: 2 2006: 0 2007: 0 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 1 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 4 2019: 1 2020: 3 2021: 12 12 2022: 5 2023: 0 2024: 0 2025: 1 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

13 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 6.0 in 1993.

94

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

13

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

3

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

September 20, 1993

Magnitude 6.0

27 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon; 17.2 miles away, 5.3 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

March 9, 2026

Magnitude 3.2

36 km E of Bonanza, Oregon; 41.9 miles away.

Earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles, by year 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 2 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 7 1982: 2 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 0 1988: 5 1989: 0 1990: 0 1991: 0 1992: 0 1993: 61 61 1994: 11 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 1 1998: 0 1999: 2 2000: 0 2001: 0 2002: 1 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 0 2007: 0 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 1 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 0 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 0 2022: 0 2023: 0 2024: 0 2025: 0 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
May 15, 20024.36.33.99 km W of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Jan 19, 19944.39.8-0.415 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Jan 9, 19944.37.90.612 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Jan 7, 19944.08.1-0.112 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Dec 31, 19934.19.2-1.114 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Dec 25, 19934.09.7-1.115 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Dec 4, 19935.112.83.020 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Sep 22, 19934.115.13.523 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Sep 20, 19934.318.1-1.025 km SW of Chiloquin, Oregon
Sep 20, 19936.017.25.327 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Sep 20, 19935.914.45.322 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Sep 29, 19884.345.5-0.025 km E of Tennant, California
Jul 8, 19564.935.3—16 km NE of Hornbrook, California
  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
Medicine Lake volcano43.6High7,913
Crater Lake52.1Very high8,159
Mount Shasta59.9Very high14,163
Cinnamon Butte72.6Very low6,417
Davis Lake volcanic field98.3Very 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 Klamath County.

598

Landslides mapped, probable or better

5

With a recorded date

2

Source inventories

Mapped by OR DOGAMI (595), NASA (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

439 events in the National Weather Service record for Klamath County, 430 of them since 1996.

23

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

1

Hail, 2 inches or larger

13

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

140

Winter weather events since 1996

11

Heat events since 1996

131

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

June 30, 1987

2.00 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

July 6, 2007

81 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
Lightning400Sep 3, 2003
Dense fog and smoke1010Nov 5, 2007
Avalanches200Dec 15, 2009

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Nov 5, 2007Dense Smoke, Klamath Basin$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Fog combined with smoke from agricultural burning caused very restricted visibilities along highway US97 about 10 miles south of Klamath Falls. A jeep rear-ended a car in the fog/smoke at 07:20 AM, and other vehicles collided with them. In all, 30 vehicles were involved, including three tractor-trailers, along a two mile long stretch of the road. ||One person, who was driving one of the tractor trailers, was killed. 8 others were hospitalized with mostly minor injuries. A few others were injured who did not require hospitalization.||At the time, no restrictions to visibility were reported at the nearest ASOS in Klamath Falls (KLMT) or in Alturas (KAAT). The Montague ASOS (KSIY)…

  2. Feb 25, 2025Flood$20,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Sprague River near Beatty rose above minor flood stage of 8.5 ft. at 25/730 PST, peaked in minor flood stage at 26/145 PST at 9.13 ft. It then fell below flood stage at 26/1645 PST. This produced flooding of structures in the vicinity of the cities of Sprague River and Lone Pine, and widespread agricultural flooding.

  3. Aug 16, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A member of the public reported that part of a barn roof was blown away, a firmly anchored car canopy was toppled, and a boat was damaged by strong gusts associated with a thunderstorm. No warning was issued for this storm.

  4. Aug 21, 2005Hail$1,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Spotter KL73 reported .5 to .75 inch hail from a thunderstorm...but not too heavy where he was.

  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 Klamath Falls International Airport, 5.7 miles from the city centre, with records from 1959.

All-time high
103°F2 times, most recently Jul 29, 2022
All-time low
−25°FJan 23, 1962
Warmest night
67°FJul 29, 1968
Coldest day
3°FJan 21, 1962
Wettest day
2.61 inDec 22, 1964
Snowiest day
13.0 inMar 10, 1967
Hottest year
2014mean 50.0°F
Coldest year
1964mean 44.7°F
Wettest year
196216.93 in
Driest year
20135.59 in
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Klamath Falls International Airport 32°F 42° 22° 1.1 Jan 45° 23° 1.1 Feb 51° 26° 0.9 Mar 58° 29° 0.9 Apr 67° 36° 1.0 May 76° 42° 0.5 Jun 87° 49° 0.2 Jul 85° 47° 0.4 Aug 77° 40° 0.4 Sep 64° 31° 0.8 Oct 49° 26° 1.3 Nov 40° 21° 1.7 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 1998: 17 1999: 4 2000: 0 2001: 2 2002: 5 2003: 6 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 4 2007: 2 2008: 3 2009: 2 2010: 1 2011: 0 2012: 2 2013: 10 2014: 5 2015: 9 2016: 6 2017: 11 2018: 7 2019: 0 2020: 9 2021: 21 21 2022: 15 2023: 6 2024: 16 2025: 5 199820082018
Days reaching 95°F each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 6.0.

Station Klamath Falls International Airport (USW00094236), 4,083 ft elevation, 5.7 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1959 to October 27, 2026; 96.3% 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

18 since 1953. The most recent: Wrights Spring Fire, August 9, 2026.

Declarations for Klamath County.

Federal disaster declarations
Aug 9, 2026FireWrights Spring FireFire managementFM-5666-OR
Sep 2, 2024FireCopperfield FireFire managementFM-5532-OR
Jul 23, 2023FireGolden FireFire managementFM-5471-OR
Jul 10, 2021FireBootleg FireFire managementFM-5396-OR
Sep 15, 2020FireWildfires and Straight-Line WindsMajor disasterDR-4562-OR
Sep 10, 2020FireWildfiresEmergencyEM-3542-OR
Sep 8, 2020FireTwo Four Two FireFire managementFM-5354-OR
Mar 28, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4499-OR
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3429-OR
Aug 4, 2017FirePipeline FireFire managementFM-5195-OR
Aug 1, 2014FireOregon Gulch FireFire managementFM-5066-OR
Jul 14, 2014FireMoccasin Hills FireFire managementFM-5060-OR
Sep 17, 2008FireRoyce Butte FireFire managementFM-2787-OR
Sep 7, 2005Coastal StormHurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergencyEM-3228-OR
Jan 23, 1997Severe StormSevere Winter Storms, Land and Mudslides, FloodingMajor disasterDR-1160-OR
Oct 15, 1993EarthquakeEarthquakesMajor disasterDR-1004-OR
Apr 29, 1977DroughtDroughtEmergencyEM-3039-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 USW00094236.
  • 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.