Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Malheur County, OR

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
41045
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: No approved plan on record.

Update: FEMA tracker shows a plan in progress.

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($6,598,226 a year), Wildfire ($1,597,663) and Earthquake ($830,056).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
No approved plan on record
Plan:
none
Approved:
none
Expires:
none
Update underway:
FEMA tracker shows a plan in progress

FEMA's plan status data lists no approved plan for this jurisdiction.

What changed since your last plan

Not available. No approved plan on record, so there is no approval date to count from.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryUpdate underway
Malheur CountyCountyNo approved plan on recordnonenonenoneFEMA tracker shows a plan in progress
Nyssa cityCityNo approved plan on recordnonenonenoneFEMA tracker shows a plan in progress
Ontario cityCityNo approved plan on recordnonenonenoneFEMA tracker shows a plan in progress
Vale cityCityNo approved plan on recordnonenonenoneFEMA tracker shows a plan in progress

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countWhy this hazard can be left outNRI Not Applicable, no declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996Storm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingRelatively LowRelatively Low$6,537,291$51,473$9,463$6,598,22626
2WildfireRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$1,512,812$3,686$81,165$1,597,6635
3EarthquakeRelatively LowRelatively Low$622,686n/a$207,370$830,056Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
4Heat WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$142$53,704$473,080$526,9250No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
5HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$173,569$113,421$16,456$303,44522
6Winter WeatherRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$67,899$3,257$141,820$212,97640
7Strong WindVery LowRelatively Low$16,798$18,041$87,639$122,47847Includes 12 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
8LightningRelatively LowRelatively Low$4,694n/a$95,160$99,8530No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
9Cold WaveVery LowVery Low$183$14,330$61,690$76,2030No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
10TornadoVery LowVery Low$27,130$1,062$20,941$49,1332
11LandslideRelatively LowRelatively Low$10,995n/a$971$11,9661
12Ice StormVery LowVery Low$7,233n/a$2,152$9,3860No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13DroughtVery LowVery Lown/a$8,886n/a$8,8860Declared 1 time; no Storm Events record of this type.
14AvalancheRelatively LowVery Low$36n/a$4,162$4,1980No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
15Volcanic ActivityVery LowVery Lowunder $1n/a$15$150No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
HurricaneNot ApplicableNot Applicable0NRI rates hurricane Not Applicable for this county, and no counted federal declaration for this county names it (EM-3228-OR names it but is not counted as a local occurrence; see B1-d).No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local lightning and volcanic activity records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: coastal flooding and tsunami. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Avalanchetract 9707 (Very Low, 63.3); tract 9709 (Very Low, 63.2); tract 9400 (Very Low, 54.1)
Earthquaketract 9704 (Relatively Moderate, 83.8); tract 9703 (Relatively Moderate, 83.5); tract 9706 (Relatively Low, 75.3)
Hurricaneno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Landslidetract 9709 (Relatively Moderate, 98.2); tract 9706 (Very Low, 67.6); tract 9707 (Very Low, 63.5)
Tornadotract 9703 (Very Low, 23.1); tract 9704 (Very Low, 22.9); tract 9709 (Very Low, 21.9)
Volcanic Activitytract 9709 (Very Low, 78.8); tract 9703 (Very Low, 78.0); tract 9704 (Very Low, 77.6)
Wildfiretract 9709 (Very High, 99.2); tract 9706 (Relatively High, 97.2); tract 9707 (Relatively Moderate, 95.6)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 9707 is Census Tract 9707). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Avalanchenone (count and damage only)0
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill0
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)0Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)26 records, 1970 to 20230.75 in to 2 in (median 1 in); 26 with a recorded value2 in hail, 2003-07-26Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Vale city (6 records), Nyssa city (1 record), Ontario city (1 record).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)0
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)0
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)26 records, 1996 to 2025Flash Flood, 1998-06-12, $10,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ontario city (4 records), Nyssa city (1 record), Vale city (1 record).Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)1 record, 2025No damage reported in 1 record.No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)0Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)12 records, 1998 to 2025 (12 zone-level)42 kt (48 mph) to 70 kt (81 mph) (median 53 kt (61 mph)); 12 with a recorded value70 kt (81 mph) estimated, High Wind, 2000-02-14; NWS zone ORZ064High Wind, 1999-02-08, $5,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1999 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)52 records, 1969 to 202550 kt (58 mph) to 70 kt (81 mph) (median 55.5 kt (64 mph)); 42 with a recorded value70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2003-05-24Thunderstorm Wind, 1994-05-15, $500,000 property; crops not recorded (1994 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Vale city (7 records), Ontario city (6 records), Nyssa city (3 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)6 records, 1966 to 1997F/EF0 to F/EF1 (median between F/EF0 and F/EF1); 6 with a recorded valueF1 tornado, 1974-04-23, 1 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 300 yd wide, $25,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars); same rating, casualties and property damage also recorded on 1966-08-25Tornado, 1967-06-21, $250,000 property; crops not recorded (1967 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ontario city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Volcanic Ash, Volcanic AshfallVolcanic Explosivity Index (local data)0
Wildfireacres burned (local data)5 records, 1996 to 2012 (1 zone-level)No damage reported in 5 records.No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan. Zone-level records (1) apply countywide.
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)40 records, 1998 to 2024 (40 zone-level)Heavy Snow, 2017-01-18, $100,000,000 property; $0 crops (2017 dollars); NWS zone ORZ064Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of avalanche, debris flow, lightning and volcanic ash, volcanic ashfall.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 7 declarations covering 4 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

No approved plan on record, so there is no approval date to count from.

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2024-07-222024-07-21FM-5516-ORFire managementDurkee FireWildfireno Public Assistance recordedwithin last 5 years
2020-03-282020-01-20DR-4499-ORMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$72,336.80
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3429-OREmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4499
2005-09-072005-08-29EM-3228-OREmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2004-02-192003-12-26DR-1510-ORMajor disasterSevere Winter StormsWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1977-04-291977-04-29EM-3039-OREmergencyDroughtDroughtno Public Assistance recorded
1964-12-241964-12-24DR-184-ORMajor disasterHeavy Rains & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1963-02-251963-02-25DR-144-ORMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1962-10-161962-10-16DR-136-ORMajor disasterSevere StormsHazard not mapped (severe storm title names no single hazard); not counted
1957-03-011957-03-01DR-69-ORMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding
1956-07-201956-07-20DR-60-ORMajor disasterStorm & FloodInland Flooding
1955-12-291955-12-29DR-49-ORMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

27 Fire Management declarations (1973-08-17 to 2001-08-17) FEMA filed as Statewide with no county; each names one local fire. Listed on the state page.

Public Assistance not placed in any Oregon county: 1 row, $479,867.27; listed on the Oregon state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Avalanche0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Cold Wave0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Drought0011996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 1 federal declared incident (see declarations table)
Earthquake000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail26201955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Hurricane0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Inland Flooding26211996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide1101996 to 2026-06-30
Lightning0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Strong Wind641201955 to 2026-06-30Includes 12 High Wind records.
Tornado6001950 to 2026-06-30
Volcanic Activity0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Wildfire5011996 to 2026-06-30
Winter Weather40211996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationWhy listed
2017-01-18Heavy Snow$100,000,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2017 dollars)0, 0NWS zone ORZ064 (LOWER TREASURE VALLEY), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2010-08-06Hail1 in$0 property; $10,000 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0VALElarge reported damage
2003-07-26Hail2 inproperty not reported; $2,800,000 crops (2003 dollars)0, 0VALEB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2003-05-24Thunderstorm Wind70 kt (81 mph) estimated gustdamage not reported0, 0NYSSAB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2000-02-14High Wind70 kt (81 mph) estimateddamage not reported0, 0NWS zone ORZ064 (LOWER TREASURE VALLEY), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1999-02-08High Wind50 kt (58 mph), measurement type not recorded$5,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1999 dollars)0, 0Storm Events area LOWER TREASURE VALLEY (legacy zone code ORZ021), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: High Wind and Strong Wind
1998-06-12Flash Flood$10,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)0, 0JUNTURAB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
1996-09-15Hail0.75 inproperty not reported; $10,000 crops (1996 dollars)0, 0VALElarge reported damage
1994-05-15Thunderstorm Wind60 kt (69 mph), measurement type not recorded$500,000 property; crops not recorded (1994 dollars)0, 0location not recordedB1-c most damaging: Thunderstorm Wind
1974-04-23TornadoF1, 1 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 300 yd wide$25,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado
1967-06-21TornadoF0, 1 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 10 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1967 dollars)0, 0location not recordedB1-c most damaging: Tornado
1966-08-25TornadoF1, 19.1 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 100 yd wide$25,000 property; crops not recorded (1966 dollars)0, 0location not recordedlarge reported damage

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (168 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Avalanche0.01events per yearabout 1 in 100 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)01994 to 2023 (30 years)see B1-f0.01 is NRI's minimum avalanche frequency for a county in an avalanche susceptibility zone; NRI records no avalanche here, so the descriptor reflects the floor, not local events.
Cold Wave0.0526event-days per yearabout 0.0526 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)12005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events cold wave record, 1996 to 2025.
Drought93.2event-days per yearabout 93.2 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)2,4082000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywideNo Storm Events drought record, 1996 to 2025
Earthquake0.00358annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.358%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail0.113events per yearabout 1 in 9 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)4.3 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave3.61event-days per yearabout 3.61 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)35.12005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events heat wave record, 1996 to 2025
Hurricaneevents per year1851 to 2024 (Atlantic); 1949 to 2024 (Pacific)see B1-fNot Applicable in NRI for this county; no descriptor.
Ice Storm0.0149event-days per yearabout 0.0149 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)01946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywideNo Storm Events ice storm record, 1996 to 2025
Inland Flooding0.786event-days per yearabout 0.786 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 12 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (40%)221996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide2.83events per year (modeled)about 2.83 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning20.7days per year with a strikeabout 20.7 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind0.15events per yearabout 1 in 7 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)61986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.242events per yearabout 1 in 4 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Volcanic Activity0.0003annual probabilityabout 1 in 3,333 yearsUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Wildfire0.00564annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.564%LikelyStorm Events records in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Winter Weather10.5event-days per yearabout 10.5 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 17 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (56.7%)2002005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202513300.433
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20251300.0333
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202532301.07
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20253300.1
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20250300
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20252300.0667
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20250300
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Avalanche3 of 854.163.263.3Very Low 3, Not Applicable 5
Cold Wave7 of 821.925.233.9Relatively Low 7, No Rating 1
Drought7 of 869.279.384.3Relatively Low 4, Very Low 3, No Rating 1
Earthquake7 of 843.870.883.8Relatively Moderate 2, Relatively Low 5, No Rating 1
Hail7 of 877.481.291.1Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 6, No Rating 1
Heat Wave7 of 853.475.885.3Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 5, Relatively Low 1, No Rating 1
Hurricane0 of 8Not Applicable 8
Ice Storm7 of 810.124.526.0Very Low 7, No Rating 1
Inland Flooding7 of 860.678.989.6Relatively High 4, Relatively Moderate 3, No Rating 1
Landslide7 of 810.151.598.2Relatively Moderate 1, Very Low 6, No Rating 1
Lightning7 of 835.361.972.4Relatively Moderate 6, Relatively Low 1, No Rating 1
Strong Wind7 of 839.956.267.4Relatively Moderate 4, Relatively Low 3, No Rating 1
Tornado7 of 89.320.523.1Very Low 7, No Rating 1
Volcanic Activity7 of 861.977.278.8Very Low 7, No Rating 1
Wildfire7 of 853.592.299.2Very High 1, Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 3, Very Low 2, No Rating 1
Winter Weather7 of 890.197.198.2Very High 6, Relatively High 1, No Rating 1

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Malheur CountyCountyNo approved plan on recordFMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; no approved plan
Nyssa cityCityNo approved plan on recordFMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded5 total; no approved plan
Ontario cityCityNo approved plan on recordFMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$9,919.3912 total; no approved planIncludes $9,919.39 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4499-OR).
Vale cityCityNo approved plan on recordFMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded14 total; no approved plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

No approved plan on record, so there is no approval date to count from.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since plancounty-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Avalanche$910,432n/a1$36n/a$4,1620.00398%
Cold Wave$8,025,744,709$454,940,68131,546$183$14,330$61,690under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$153,454,736n/an/a$8,886n/a0.00579% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$14,383,606,836n/a31,571$622,686n/a$207,3700.00433%
Hail$8,025,744,709$454,940,68131,546$173,569$113,421$16,4560.00216%
Heat Wave$8,025,744,709$454,940,68131,546$142$53,704$473,080under 0.0001%
HurricaneNot Applicable in NRI for this county
Ice Storm$8,025,744,709n/a31,546$7,233n/a$2,152under 0.0001%
Inland Flooding$8,022,760,014$34,556,3631,345$6,537,291$51,473$9,463n/a (see note)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$79,900,961n/a241$10,995n/a$9710.0138%
Lightning$8,025,744,709n/a31,546$4,694n/a$95,160under 0.0001%
Strong Wind$8,025,744,709$454,940,68131,546$16,798$18,041$87,6390.000209%
Tornado$8,025,744,709$454,940,68131,546$27,130$1,062$20,9410.000338%
Volcanic Activity$8,025,744,709n/a31,546under $1n/a$15under 0.0001%
Wildfire$1,517,947,770$190,571,4038,219$1,512,812$3,686$81,1650.0997%
Winter Weather$8,025,744,709$454,940,68131,546$67,899$3,257$141,8200.000846%

Totals since the plan: not available. No approved plan on record, so there is no approval date to count from.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population31,546
Building value (total, not at risk)$8,025,744,709
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$454,940,681
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$9,249,328
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$1,202,084
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Moderate
Community resilience ratingVery Low
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file0010100

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Malheur County4101490000000
Nyssa city4101510000000
Ontario city4101520000000
Vale city4101530000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 0 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Malheur County, OR: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 41045). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/or/41045/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]