Klamath County
Population 70,274 (2025) 5,950 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 519,164 acres of Klamath County since 1984, 13th most of 36 counties in Oregon; the largest was the Bootleg Fire in 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 since 19505
- Wildfire burn scars since 198452
At a glance
The record for Klamath County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Acres burned since 1984
519,164
13th of 36 in Oregon
52 large fires; the largest was Bootleg, 2021
DetailsStrongest tornado
F1
May 19, 1962, 0.5 mile path
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.
Every recorded tornado
| May 28, 2019 | EF0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 17, 2007 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 17, 2004 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 30, 1995 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 19, 1962 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Klamath County: 0.
- 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
519,164 acres burned in 52 large fires since 1984, equal to 14% of the land.
Largest
July 6, 2021
Bootleg Fire, 413,425 acres
291,976 acres inside Klamath County.
Most recent
September 1, 2024
Copperfield Fire
3,700 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Copperfield | 2024 | 3,704 | 3,700 |
| Knot | 2024 | 1,539 | 1,538 |
| Red | 2024 | 2,964 | 2,924 |
| Little Yamsay | 2024 | 6,860 | 6,818 |
| Marsh | 2023 | 2,684 | 2,682 |
| Golden | 2023 | 2,224 | 2,224 |
| Dillon Creek | 2023 | 3,160 | 3,161 |
| Van Meter | 2022 | 2,683 | 2,682 |
| Log | 2021 | 2,271 | 16,018 |
| Bootleg | 2021 | 291,976 | 413,425 |
| Cutoff | 2021 | 1,267 | 1,264 |
| Ponina | 2021 | 1,705 | 1,704 |
| Two Four Two | 2020 | 14,261 | 14,252 |
| Ward | 2019 | 1,362 | 1,361 |
| Watson Creek | 2018 | 4 | 62,165 |
| Timber Crater 6 | 2018 | 3,122 | 3,120 |
| North Pelican | 2017 | 3,798 | 3,797 |
| Devils Lake | 2017 | 1,757 | 1,757 |
| Spruce Lake | 2017 | 16,066 | 16,059 |
| Blanket Creek | 2017 | 28,723 | 32,747 |
| Bybee Creek | 2016 | 1,007 | 1,007 |
| National Creek Complex | 2015 | 10,310 | 21,538 |
| 790 Fire | 2014 | 2,676 | 2,686 |
| Beaver Complex | 2014 | 16,985 | 35,178 |
| Moccasin Hill | 2014 | 2,535 | 2,536 |
| Bryant | 2014 | 1,495 | 1,496 |
| Red Cone | 2011 | 1,343 | 1,341 |
| Hay | 2010 | 3,406 | 3,405 |
| Middle Fork | 2008 | 17,036 | 18,751 |
| Simpson | 2005 | 2,274 | 2,276 |
| Davis | 2003 | 13,727 | 20,671 |
| North Marsh | 2002 | 1,158 | 1,157 |
| Brady Butte | 2002 | 3,063 | 3,062 |
| Skunk | 2002 | 2,030 | 2,030 |
| Indian Springs | 2001 | 2,294 | 2,294 |
| Marsh Complex | 1998 | 2,565 | 2,565 |
| Lower Lk 2 | 1996 | 1,099 | 1,098 |
| Switchback | 1995 | 1,025 | 1,029 |
| Spence | 1994 | 1,091 | 1,088 |
| Quick | 1994 | 1,412 | 1,414 |
| Robinson Spring | 1992 | 5,754 | 10,761 |
| Fort Spring | 1992 | 1,563 | 1,684 |
| John Spring | 1992 | 1,577 | 1,575 |
| 90991235 | 1990 | 1,011 | 1,011 |
| Prophecy | 1988 | 1,855 | 1,854 |
| Kitts Mill | 1987 | 3,182 | 3,180 |
| Wocus 437 | 1987 | 3,195 | 3,196 |
| Cowboy | 1987 | 4,535 | 4,536 |
| Holeingrnd | 1987 | 2,697 | 2,697 |
| Unnamed | 1986 | 10,147 | 10,143 |
| Sphagnum | 1986 | 1,448 | 1,448 |
| Privy | 1985 | 1,514 | 1,516 |
- 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 48 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
27.8 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
10 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
10 federal flood insurance claims since 1982, with $207,000 paid.
Most claims in one year
1997: 5 claims
$177,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 97624 | 9 | $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
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.
| Dec 23, 1964 | Sprague River near Beatty | 12.19 | +3.69 |
| Jan 2, 1997 | Sprague River near Beatty | 11.50 | +3.00 |
| Jan 5, 1997 | Williamson River below Chiloquin | 10.27 | +1.27 |
| Jan 24, 1970 | Sprague River near Beatty | 10.01 | +1.51 |
| Feb 10, 2017 | Sprague River near Beatty | 9.59 | +1.09 |
| Dec 23, 1955 | Sprague River near Beatty | 9.44 | +0.94 |
| Dec 20, 1981 | Sprague River near Beatty | 9.38 | +0.88 |
| Feb 8, 1996 | Sprague River near Beatty | 9.30 | +0.80 |
| Jan 1, 2006 | Sprague River near Beatty | 9.17 | +0.67 |
| Mar 9, 1986 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.83 | +0.33 |
| Feb 2, 1963 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.82 | +0.32 |
| Mar 3, 1972 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.76 | +0.26 |
| Mar 10, 1989 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.64 | +0.14 |
| Jan 19, 1971 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.54 | +0.04 |
| May 12, 1958 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.51 | +0.01 |
| May 23, 1967 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.44 | −0.06 |
| May 1, 2006 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.26 | −0.24 |
| Feb 12, 1996 | Williamson River below Chiloquin | 8.61 | −0.39 |
| Feb 27, 1957 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.06 | −0.44 |
| May 18, 2005 | Sprague River near Beatty | 8.00 | −0.50 |
River gauges
| Sprague River near Beatty | 8.5 | 12.19 ft | 1 |
| Williamson River below Chiloquin | 9.0 | 10.27 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 144 of 1,581 months since 1895 (9%); the longest spell lasted 20 months.
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
- 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
28 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 6.0 in 1993.
216
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
181
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
28
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
4
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
September 20, 1993
27 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon; inside the county, 5.3 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
March 9, 2026
Magnitude 3.2
36 km E of Bonanza, Oregon; inside the county.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Jul 22, 2004 | 4.3 | 33.5 |
| Jun 30, 2004 | 4.4 | 33.5 |
| May 15, 2002 | 4.3 | Inside |
| Aug 29, 1997 | 4.2 | 31.8 |
| Jan 19, 1994 | 4.3 | Inside |
| Jan 9, 1994 | 4.3 | Inside |
| Jan 7, 1994 | 4.0 | Inside |
| Dec 31, 1993 | 4.1 | Inside |
| Dec 25, 1993 | 4.0 | Inside |
| Dec 4, 1993 | 5.1 | Inside |
| Sep 22, 1993 | 4.1 | Inside |
| Sep 20, 1993 | 4.3 | Inside |
| Sep 20, 1993 | 6.0 | Inside |
| Sep 20, 1993 | 5.9 | Inside |
| Sep 29, 1988 | 4.3 | 46.1 |
| Jun 17, 1987 | 4.1 | 36.6 |
| Aug 14, 1978 | 4.2 | 45.4 |
| Aug 12, 1978 | 4.1 | 44.9 |
| Aug 12, 1978 | 4.1 | 44.9 |
| Aug 12, 1978 | 4.3 | 44.9 |
| Aug 1, 1978 | 4.2 | 48.5 |
| Aug 1, 1978 | 4.5 | 49.7 |
| Aug 1, 1978 | 4.2 | 46.0 |
| Aug 1, 1978 | 4.6 | 46.0 |
| Jul 8, 1956 | 4.9 | 5.7 |
| Sep 2, 1931 | 4.5 | 39.3 |
| Jan 10, 1923 | 5.0 | 33.0 |
| Apr 19, 1906 | 4.3 | 14.7 |
- 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 county boundary (or inside the county).
- 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
| Crater Lake | Inside | Very high |
| Cinnamon Butte | 3.7 | Very low |
| Newberry | 8.9 | Very high |
| Davis Lake volcanic field | 9.4 | Very low |
| Devils Garden lava field | 24.7 | Very low |
| Mount Bachelor | 29.6 | Moderate |
| Three Sisters | 35.6 | Very high |
| Mount Shasta | 41.7 | Very high |
| Medicine Lake volcano | 43.6 | High |
| Belknap Crater | 46.9 | Low |
| Sand Mountain volcanic field | 52.9 | Very low |
| Blue Lake Crater | 56.1 | Low |
| Mount Jefferson | 73.8 | 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
598
Landslides mapped, probable or better
5
With a recorded date
2
Source inventories
Mapped by OR DOGAMI (595), NASA (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
439 events in the National Weather Service record, 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
| Lightning | 4 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 1 | 0 |
| Avalanches | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- 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)…
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, 9.6 miles from the county’s population 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
Station Klamath Falls International Airport (USW00094236), 4,083 ft elevation, 9.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1959 to October 26, 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.
| Aug 9, 2026 | Fire | FM-5666-OR |
| Sep 2, 2024 | Fire | FM-5532-OR |
| Jul 23, 2023 | Fire | FM-5471-OR |
| Jul 10, 2021 | Fire | FM-5396-OR |
| Sep 15, 2020 | Fire | DR-4562-OR |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Fire | EM-3542-OR |
| Sep 8, 2020 | Fire | FM-5354-OR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | DR-4499-OR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3429-OR |
| Aug 4, 2017 | Fire | FM-5195-OR |
| Aug 1, 2014 | Fire | FM-5066-OR |
| Jul 14, 2014 | Fire | FM-5060-OR |
| Sep 17, 2008 | Fire | FM-2787-OR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3228-OR |
| Jan 23, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1160-OR |
| Oct 15, 1993 | Earthquake | DR-1004-OR |
| Apr 29, 1977 | Drought | EM-3039-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.
How this compares
Where Klamath County stands among 36 counties in Oregon and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 5 | 12 / 36 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 0 | — |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 519,164 | 13 / 36 |
| Flood insurance claims | 10 | 27 / 36 |
| Flood insurance paid | $207,000 | 22 / 36 |
| Disaster declarations | 18 | 15 / 36 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 10 | 31 / 36 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 67 | 18 / 36 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 140 | 12 / 36 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $131,000 | 33 / 36 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 1 | 20 / 36 |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 144 | 12 / 36 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 27.8 | 4 / 36 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 28 | 8 / 36 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 216 | 1 / 36 |
Neighbouring counties
| Deschutes County | 6 | 0 |
| Douglas County | 1 | 0 |
| Jackson County | 0 | 0 |
| Lake County | 2 | 0 |
| Lane County | 7 | 0 |
| Modoc County CA | 0 | 0 |
| Siskiyou County CA | 1 | 0 |
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.