Morrow County, Oregon
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 7% of Morrow County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 89% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
73.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 51% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Morrow County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 8.2% |
| Mapped soil | 1,149,878 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Ritzville | 12% | n/a |
| Valby | 9% | n/a |
| Quincy | 9% | n/a |
| Lickskillet | 7% | n/a |
| Waha | 7% | n/a |
| Morrow | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OR648 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 11.76 in, 2.22 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 13.98 in.
USDA rates 79% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Morrow County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
73.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 98.1% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the December 30, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 73.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 45.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 12% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 13.98 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 11.76 in (-2.22) |
| 2025 | 13.01 in (-0.97) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 20.89 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1939: 8.93 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HEPPNER (5 mi away) | 0.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,912 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $240,400 |
| Single-family detached | 55% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilliam County, OR | 33 mi | 3% | under 1% |
| Umatilla County, OR | 44 mi | 7% | 3% |
| Wheeler County, OR | 52 mi | 27% | 1% |
| Sherman County, OR | 52 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Benton County, WA | 56 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Klickitat County, WA | 65 mi | 2% | 5% |
| Grant County, OR | 70 mi | 15% | 4% |
| Wasco County, OR | 78 mi | 15% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status