NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Joseph, 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 Joseph, Oregon since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 5
- 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 Joseph
The highest rating among the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 5 times; the most recent, on July 12, 2016, came within 13 miles. Of the 5, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. Of the 149 Oregon cities on this site, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Joseph. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 9 times since 2001, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Joseph has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 149 Oregon cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Joseph
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2016 | EF0 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2013 | EF0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2009 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2006 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1992 | F0 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Joseph
The Storm Prediction Center has 9 hail reports within 10 miles of Joseph since 2001, made on 7 separate days. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on August 29, 2009. The most recent report is from April 14, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Joseph
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Joseph, OR, 2 miles west of Joseph at 4,184 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 49°F; December is the coolest, at 35°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 2.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 17.0 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 187 nights a year. Snowfall averages 54.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 17.0 inches is more than at 21 of the 77 Oregon stations used on this site (27%). Enterprise, 15 miles north, has its own station (Enterprise 20 NNE, OR): 18.9 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and an August average high of 89°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 1.3 | 4 | 10.7 |
| Feb | 39 | 19 | 1.1 | 4 | 9.2 |
| Mar | 46 | 26 | 1.4 | 6 | 10.1 |
| Apr | 52 | 30 | 1.9 | 6 | 6.3 |
| May | 61 | 39 | 2.6 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Jun | 68 | 44 | 1.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 49 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 49 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 43 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 56 | 34 | 1.4 | 4 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 43 | 25 | 1.4 | 4 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 35 | 18 | 1.3 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Year | 55 | 33 | 17.0 | 53 | 54.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Joseph, OR (4,184 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.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Wallowa County, which includes Joseph, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wallowa County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.9 million a year, the 30th highest of 36 Oregon counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.6 million (58%), 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 Joseph
- Enterprise, OR15 mi
- Union, OR33 mi
- Elgin, OR38 mi
- La Grande, OR44 mi
- Council, ID46 mi
- Baker City, OR49 mi
- Cottonwood, ID62 mi
- Walla Walla, WA63 mi
- Mccall, ID64 mi
- Grangeville, ID65 mi
- Milton Freewater, OR71 mi
- Weiser, ID72 mi
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