Portland's Major Windstorms and Ice Storms Since 1962, and What Each One Did to Houses
Homes Built Before 1978 in the Portland Metro and Southwest Washington, by City
1978 is the year lead based paint was banned in U.S. homes. It is also the line that decides whether a contractor needs EPA Lead Safe certification to work on your house. This page shows how much of the housing stock in each of the 33 cities and areas VResh Construction serves was built before that year, using the latest U.S. Census data.
Map: share of homes built before 1978
Larger and darker circles mean an older housing stock. Click any circle for the numbers and a link to VResh's page for that city.
Table: every city, ranked
Sort any column by clicking its heading. The share built before 1970 is included as a floor that needs no estimating, since the Census reports homes by decade.
| VResh in this city |
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 five year estimates, table B25034, Year Structure Built, retrieved September 2026 via Census Reporter. Map coordinates are approximate city centers, not Census geography. Oak Grove and Cedar Mill are census designated places. Clackamas uses ZIP code 97015 because it is no longer a census designated place. "Built before 1978" counts all homes built before 1970 plus eight tenths of homes built between 1970 and 1979. ACS figures are survey estimates and carry margins of error, which are larger for small cities. Download the data as CSV.
What this means if you own one of these homes
Any renovation that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 falls under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. That includes siding replacement, window replacement, dry rot repair, exterior painting and most interior work. The contractor must hold EPA Lead Safe certification, set up containment, use lead safe work practices, clean and verify the work area, and give you written documentation. In Oregon the contractor also needs a state Lead Based Paint Renovation license from the CCB. Ask any contractor to show both before work begins on an older home.
Older homes in the Pacific Northwest carry a second issue that shows up on the same job: moisture damage. Homes from the 1940s through the 1970s were built before modern flashing and weather barrier practices, and decades of rain find the gaps. On most pre 1978 exterior projects VResh takes on, some dry rot is found once the siding or trim comes off. The lead safe protocols and the structural repair are handled by the same crew, under one permit, with one warranty.
Questions about this data
Why does 1978 matter for a house?
Lead based paint was banned for residential use in the United States in 1978. Under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, any contractor who disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must hold EPA Lead Safe certification and follow containment, cleaning and documentation procedures. Oregon also requires a state Lead Based Paint Renovation license on top of the federal certificate.
Does a home built before 1978 always contain lead paint?
No. The share of homes with lead paint rises with age. Federal estimates put the likelihood at roughly one in four for homes built between 1960 and 1977, about seven in ten for homes built between 1940 and 1959, and close to nine in ten for homes built before 1940. The only way to know for certain is a lead paint test. Likelihood figures are from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and EPA.
How were the numbers on this page calculated?
Every figure comes from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024 five year estimates, table B25034 (Year Structure Built). The Census groups homes by decade, so the 1970s bracket is split: eight tenths of homes built between 1970 and 1979 are counted as built before 1978. The share built before 1970 is shown separately as a floor that needs no estimating.
Why is Clackamas shown as a ZIP code?
Clackamas stopped being a census designated place in 2020, so there is no longer a city level figure. The page uses ZIP code 97015, which covers the Clackamas area, and labels it as such.
Can I use this data?
Yes. The table is drawn from public Census data and you are welcome to cite it, embed the figures, or link to this page. A CSV download is provided below the table.
Own a home built before 1978?
VResh Construction is EPA Lead Safe Certified and licensed in Oregon (CCB #241979) and Washington (#VRESHCL776ND). We handle siding, windows, roofing, dry rot repair and interior renovation on older homes across every city on this page, with full RRP compliance and written documentation.
Request a free estimate How lead safe renovation works
116 mph
Portland's record gust, Columbus Day 1962, near the Morrison Bridge
421,649
PGE customers who lost power in the February 2021 ice storm
4
federal disaster declarations for winter storms in the metro since 2012 (2012, 2021, 2024, 2025)
3 of 4
of the most recent declared events were ice or freezing rain, not wind
The events
Facts marked "Verified from source" were read directly from the linked official page during our review. Facts marked "From cited source" are carried from the linked NOAA, university or federal document and can be checked at the link.
Columbus Day Storm Verified from source
| Peak gust | 116 mph near the Morrison Street Bridge in Portland; 145 mph measured on the coast |
|---|---|
| Deaths | As many as 46 attributed to the storm |
| Damage | About $200 million in Oregon at the time, roughly $1.4 billion today; trees, homes and property demolished across western Oregon |
What it did to houses: The reference event for the region. Roofs peeled, thousands of large trees fell on houses, and power was out for weeks in places. Every wind design number in the modern building code for this area is measured against it.
Source: Oregon State University
December 12, 1995 windstorm From cited source
| Peak gust | 119 mph at Sea Lion Caves before the anemometer failed; 107 mph at Newport; over 100 mph at Astoria and Cape Blanco |
|---|---|
| Outages | About 205,000 Oregon customers |
| Damage | Many large trees uprooted in the Willamette Valley; regional damage over $200 million; five deaths |
What it did to houses: The strongest valley windstorm since 1962. Falling trees did most of the structural damage; wind driven rain at the coast pushed water past flashing that had never leaked before.
January 2004 snow and ice storm From cited source
| Ice | More than an inch of freezing rain in some locations |
|---|---|
| Wind | Gusts over 70 mph in the eastern metro during the blowing snow |
| Impact | Portland International Airport closed for two days |
What it did to houses: A week of ice load on gutters, tree limbs and roof edges. Gutters pulled loose under ice weight and ice dams pushed meltwater under shingles on low slope roofs.
Source: NOAA Storm Data, January 2004; American Meteorological Society conference summary
Hanukkah Eve windstorm From cited source
| Winds | 80 to 90 knots (about 92 to 104 mph) in the regional climatology |
|---|---|
| Outages | More than 1 million people across the region |
| Damage | Thousands of trees down; damage in the hundreds of millions; 18 deaths in the event summary |
What it did to houses: Mostly a Puget Sound event but strong enough in the Portland metro to bring down trees and strip roofing on exposed east side homes.
December 2008 arctic blast From cited source
| Snow | 12.9 inches at Portland International Airport over three days |
|---|---|
| Impact | Prolonged sub freezing period across the metro |
What it did to houses: Two weeks of freeze and thaw. Roof snow load was rarely the problem; the damage came from ice dams, frozen gutters and burst pipes in uninsulated walls.
January 2012 snow, wind and flooding From cited source
| Declaration | FEMA major disaster DR 4055 (Oregon), including Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah and Washington counties |
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What it did to houses: Heavy rain on snowpack. Saturated soils, slides, and water in crawlspaces that had never flooded.
February 2021 ice storm Verified from source
| Outages | 421,649 Portland General Electric customers lost power |
|---|---|
| Damage | PGE described historic destruction from ice, wind and snow |
| Declaration | FEMA DR 4599 (Oregon); state emergency for Clackamas, Marion, Multnomah, Polk and Yamhill counties |
What it did to houses: The worst ice event in the metro in a generation. Ice loaded trees broke onto roofs, decks and siding across Clackamas County; gutters and fascia tore away under the weight; power was out for a week or more in the hardest hit neighborhoods.
Source: Portland General Electric; Oregon Department of Emergency Management, DR 4599
January 2024 ice storm Verified from source
| Declaration | Statewide emergency declared January 18, 2024; FEMA DR 4768 (Oregon) for severe winter storms, straight line winds, landslides and mudslides |
|---|---|
| Impact | Widespread power outages, infrastructure damage and transportation disruption reported by the Governor's office |
What it did to houses: Freezing rain over several days on top of an east wind. Trees and limbs down across the metro, roof and gutter damage from ice, and a spike in dry rot found the following summer where ice dammed meltwater had run behind siding.
Source: Office of the Governor, January 18, 2024; Oregon Department of Emergency Management, DR 4768
December 2025 wind and atmospheric river storms Verified from source
| Outages | More than 300,000 Oregonians without power at the peak |
|---|---|
| Damage | Record rainfall, flooding, landslides and mudslides; more than $15.4 million in eligible public damage documented |
| Declaration | FEMA DR 4907 (Oregon) for Clackamas, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Polk, Tillamook, Union and Yamhill counties |
What it did to houses: Wind and saturation together. Wind pulled loose siding and roofing, then days of rain found every opening it made. Clackamas County homes on slopes saw drainage failures and crawlspace flooding.
What the pattern means for a house here
Windstorms are a coast and valley event: the record gusts are all on the coast or at the west edge of the valley, and in the metro the damage is mostly trees on roofs and stripped roofing on exposed east side homes. Ice storms are the opposite. They arrive on an east wind through the Columbia Gorge, so Gresham, Troutdale, Wood Village, Camas and Washougal ice first and hardest, then Clackamas County, then the rest of the metro.
The costly damage from ice is rarely the day the ice falls. It is the gutters and fascia that pulled away under the load, the shingles lifted by ice dams, and the water that ran behind siding during the thaw. That damage shows up as dry rot and stained drywall the following summer, and by then the insurance claim window is usually closed. The single most useful thing a homeowner can do after any of these events is a walk around the house with a camera the day the weather clears.
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Questions about storm damage
How were these events chosen?
Each one is documented by the National Weather Service, NOAA, Oregon emergency management, a FEMA declaration, a utility's official report, or a peer reviewed regional climatology, and each had a measurable impact on the Portland metro or Southwest Washington. Smaller storms that caused local damage are not listed. Numbers on this page come from the linked source for that event and nothing else.
Which does more damage to a house, wind or ice?
Ice, over the long run. Windstorms produce dramatic single day damage, mostly from falling trees. Ice storms load gutters, fascia and roof edges for days, force meltwater under shingles and behind siding, and the damage often shows up months later as dry rot rather than on the day of the storm.
What should be checked after a storm?
Gutters and downspouts still attached and draining; fascia boards behind them; roof edges and any place a limb landed; siding seams and window trim on the windward side; and the crawlspace for standing water. Anything that let water in during the storm keeps letting it in through the rest of the winter.
Does insurance cover storm damage?
Typically wind and falling tree damage is covered as a sudden event, while gradual moisture damage and dry rot discovered later usually is not, even when a storm started it. Document damage with dated photos right after the event. VResh provides written inspection findings that homeowners use for claims.
Will this page be updated?
Yes. Significant new events are added once an official summary or declaration exists. Last updated September 20, 2026.
Storm damage, or the dry rot it left behind?
VResh Construction repairs roof, siding, gutter and structural damage from wind and ice, and traces the moisture damage storms leave behind. We document findings in writing for insurance claims.