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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Independence, 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 Independence, Oregon since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 17 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
17

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Independence

The strongest of the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on December 14, 2010; its path came within 15 miles. Of the 17, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on October 29, 2018. Independence has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 149 Oregon cities on this site.

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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Independence

By decade

  • 2010s2
  • 2000s4
  • 1990s9
  • 1970s1
  • 1960s1
Strongest tornadoes near Independence, Oregon
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Dec 14, 2010EF215 mi5 mi0 / 2
Jun 21, 2003F1in town0.3 mi0 / 0
Mar 8, 1960F116 mi1 mi0 / 0
Oct 29, 2018EF013 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Jun 4, 2009EF025 mi1.5 mi0 / 0
Sep 28, 2007EF024 mi1 mi0 / 0
Dec 16, 2006F019 mi1.5 mi0 / 0
Oct 3, 1998F022 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Sep 17, 1997F015 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Sep 17, 1997F010 mi1 mi0 / 0
Sep 15, 1997F011 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Sep 15, 1997F012 mi0.2 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Independence

The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of Independence since 1955.

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

Weather by month in Independence

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dallas 2 NE, OR, 8 miles northwest of Independence at 290 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 52°F; December is the coolest, at 46°F and 35°F. December is the wettest at 8.7 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 47.9 inches. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 49 nights a year. That 47.9 inches is more than at 51 of the 77 Oregon stations used on this site (66%). Monmouth, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Falls City 2 SSW, OR): 81.3 inches a year, 33.4 more than here, and an August average high of 81°F against 83°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Dallas 2 NE, OR
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in
Jan47357.5
Feb51365.6
Mar56385.1
Apr61403.7
May68452.4
Jun73491.5
Jul83520.3
Aug83520.5
Sep78491.6
Oct65443.8
Nov52387.2
Dec46358.7
Year634347.9

Averages for 1991–2020 at Dallas 2 NE, OR (290 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 Independence

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 34 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Independence: 28 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 2 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on January 15, 1996.

  • January 18, 2012: flood 6 miles from the centre of Independence — $3.0 million damage.

    NWS: “Heavy rain caused the Luckiamute River at Suver to overflow its banks causing major flooding to surrounding areas. 2 feet above flood stage.”

  • December 4, 2007: flood 7 miles from the centre of Independence — $1.0 million damage.

  • January 20, 2012: flood 1 mile from the centre of Independence — $1.0 million damage.

    NWS: “Heavy rain caused the Willamette River at Salem to overflow its banks and flood low lying areas. 4 feet above flood stage.”

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

Polk County, which includes Independence, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 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 Polk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.9 million a year, the 19th highest of 36 Oregon counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.7 million (39%), 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 Independence

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