California Storm & Severe Weather History
Since 1951, California has logged 41,535 severe-weather events — about 561 a year — with 1,150 direct deaths, 4,296 injuries and $29.9B in reported property damage.
By event type
High Wind7,14942 d$404.7M
Flood4,23145 d$2.4B
Heavy Snow3,77217 d$5.4M
Flash Flood2,78568 d$1.4B
Dense Fog2,44124 d$23.6M
Strong Wind2,39136 d$40.1M
Heavy Rain2,04622 d$391.9M
Drought1,870—$50K
Winter Storm1,66014 d$23.0M
Wildfire1,592281 d$24.0B
Frost/Freeze1,503—$9.4M
Excessive Heat1,48167 d$7.5M
Winter Weather1,47724 d$1.0M
Thunderstorm Wind1,33620 d$56.2M
Heat1,200143 d$200K
Hail9361 d$26.0M
Events by year
19512026
Notable events (781)
Events with deaths, major damage, or a strong tornado — deadliest first.
Debris FlowDecember 20, 2010
San Bernardino County Mountains · $15.0M damage
Heavy RainJanuary 7, 2005
Orange · $15.0M damage
FloodFebruary 2, 1998
Lake T N & X Sw/W Yolo/X Sw Colusa/E Napa/X Nw Solano · $15.0M damage
WildfireSeptember 27, 1997
Yuba · $15.0M damage
WildfireJuly 21, 2002
Tulare · $14.3M damage
FloodJanuary 1, 2023
Tehama · $14.2M damage
Heavy RainFebruary 1, 1998
Tulare · $13.9M damage
WildfireOctober 1, 1999
Shasta · 4 injured · $13.3M damage
Debris FlowApril 4, 2006
Santa Cruz Mountains · $13.0M damage
FloodJanuary 2, 2011
Kern · $12.7M damage
WildfireSeptember 1, 2002
Los Angeles · 14 injured · $12.7M damage
Heavy RainFebruary 1, 1998
Kern · $12.5M damage
Flash FloodDecember 22, 2010
Orange · $12.3M damage
WildfireOctober 18, 1996
Monterey · $12.3M damage
WildfireAugust 1, 2006
Western Siskiyou County · $11.7M damage
Debris FlowApril 2, 2006
North Bay Mountains · $11.5M damage
WildfireAugust 1, 2006
Western Siskiyou County · $11.1M damage
FloodJanuary 1, 2023
Yolo · $11.0M damage
Debris FlowApril 6, 2006
East Bay Interior Valleys · $11.0M damage
FloodJanuary 1, 1997
Siskiyou · $11.0M damage
Flash FloodFebruary 23, 1998
San Diego · $10.3M damage
WildfireSeptember 8, 2024
San Bernardino County Mountains · 8 injured · $10.0M damage
WildfireJuly 21, 2024
San Bernardino And Riverside County Valleys - The Inland Empire · $10.0M damage
Flash FloodAugust 20, 2023
Inyo · $10.0M damage
FloodJanuary 9, 2023
Merced · $10.0M damage
Flash FloodFebruary 14, 2019
Riverside · $10.0M damage
FloodJune 2, 2017
Inyo · $10.0M damage
Debris FlowMay 19, 2017
Monterey · $10.0M damage
High WindDecember 1, 2011
S Sierra Mtns · $10.0M damage
WildfireSeptember 4, 2011
Kern Cty Mtns · $10.0M damage
Flash FloodJuly 12, 2008
Inyo · 1 injured · $10.0M damage
WildfireOctober 21, 2007
Orange County Coastal Areas · 16 injured · $10.0M damage
High WindOctober 21, 2007
San Diego County Valleys · $10.0M damage
High WindOctober 21, 2007
San Diego County Mountains · $10.0M damage
WildfireDecember 3, 2006
Ventura County Coastal Valleys · $10.0M damage
FloodJanuary 14, 2005
San Bernardino County Valley/The Inland Empire · $10.0M damage
Heavy RainJanuary 7, 2005
Santa Barbara · $10.0M damage
WildfireAugust 1, 2002
San Diego · 38 injured · $10.0M damage
WildfireJanuary 3, 2001
San Diego · 2 injured · $10.0M damage
Flash FloodFebruary 6, 1998
Monterey · $10.0M damage
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to date. The early decades (tornadoes from 1950, hail and wind from 1955) are mostly tornadoes; all event types are recorded consistently only from 1996. The "notable" list is filtered to events with fatalities, major damage or a strong tornado. Damage is the reporting office's estimate. A record of past weather is not a forecast. See About the Data.