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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elgin, 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 Elgin, 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

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
0

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
4

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Elgin

The strongest of the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF1 on May 6, 2022; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 149 Oregon cities on this site, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elgin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1998, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Elgin has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 149 Oregon cities.

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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Elgin

By decade

  • 2020s1
  • 2010s1
  • 2000s1
  • 1980s1
Strongest tornadoes near Elgin, Oregon
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 6, 2022EF123 mi2.87 mi0 / 0
May 9, 2013EF025 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
May 6, 2009EF017 mi0.24 mi0 / 0
Jun 21, 1983F016 mi0.1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Elgin

The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Elgin since 1998, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 11, 2022, the most recent report. July has the most reports, 12.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Elgin

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elgin, OR, 2 miles west of Elgin at 2,697 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 47°F; December is the coolest, at 39°F and 23°F. December is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 26.1 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 164 nights a year. That 26.1 inches is more than at 25 of the 77 Oregon stations used on this site (32%). La Grande, 19 miles southwest, has its own station (La Grande, OR): 17.4 inches a year, 8.7 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Elgin, OR
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan40243.39
Feb45252.36
Mar53292.36
Apr60322.47
May69392.46
Jun76441.85
Jul87470.72
Aug87460.72
Sep78401.03
Oct64322.25
Nov48283.28
Dec39233.89
Year623426.168

Averages for 1991–2020 at Elgin, OR (2,697 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 Elgin

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 6 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elgin: 3 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $115,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 58 mph, on July 7, 2012.

  • July 7, 2012: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Elgin — $100,000 damage.

    NWS: “Witnesses described a sudden microburst damaged two locations west of Summerville. A large tree crashed through one house, while the residents were not at home.”

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

Union County, which includes Elgin, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Union County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.4 million a year, the 24th highest of 36 Oregon counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.0 million (32%), 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 Elgin

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