NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bend, OR
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Bend, Oregon since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Bend
The strongest of the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on August 22, 1989; its path came within 7 miles. The most recent tornado was on April 13, 2017. Of the 149 Oregon cities on this site, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bend. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1991, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Bend has more hail reports within 10 miles than any other of the 149 Oregon cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Bend
By decade
- 2010s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 1989 | F1 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2017 | EF0 | 1 mi | 0.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1997 | F0 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1983 | F0 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bend
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Bend since 1991, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 4, 2017. The most recent report is from August 3, 2025. August has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bend
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bend, OR, 2 miles northeast of Bend at 3,660 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 49°F; December is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. December is the wettest at 2.1 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 10.8 inches over 30 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 168 nights a year. Snowfall averages 21.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 10.8 inches is more than at 13 of the 77 Oregon stations used on this site (17%). Redmond, 17 miles north, has its own station (Redmond Roberts Field, OR): 8.6 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 25 | 1.4 | 4 | 6.4 |
| Feb | 46 | 24 | 1.0 | 3 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 52 | 28 | 0.7 | 2 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 58 | 31 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.7 |
| May | 66 | 37 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 74 | 42 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 49 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 48 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 41 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 34 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 49 | 28 | 1.3 | 3 | 2.0 |
| Dec | 41 | 23 | 2.1 | 5 | 5.3 |
| Year | 61 | 34 | 10.8 | 30 | 21.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bend, OR (3,660 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Bend
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 15 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bend: 5 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 lightning strikes, 3 heavy rain events, 2 floods and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $243,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on August 3, 2025.
May 14, 2016: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Bend — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning started a house fire. Approx damage to house when fire was put out was around 100,000 dollars.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Bend's 4 ZIP codes have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $62,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 13% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 77 Oregon cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 18 have fewer than Bend.
Deschutes County, which includes Bend, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds, on September 15, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Deschutes County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $66.1 million a year, the 12th highest of 36 Oregon counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $41.8 million (63%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Bend
- Redmond, OR17 mi
- Powell Butte, OR19 mi
- Sisters, OR23 mi
- Terrebonne, OR24 mi
- Prineville, OR31 mi
- Culver, OR32 mi
- Madras, OR43 mi
- Warm Springs, OR54 mi
- Sweet Home, OR74 mi
- Dexter, OR76 mi
- Mill City, OR76 mi
- Pleasant Hill, OR80 mi
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