California Storm & Severe Weather History
Since 1996, California has logged 40,984 severe-weather events — about 1,322 a year — with 1,148 direct deaths, 4,201 injuries and $29.8B 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
Heat1,200143 d$200K
Thunderstorm Wind1,11118 d$55.1M
Hail8301 d$24.9M
Events by year
19962026
Notable events (775)
Events with deaths, major damage, or a strong tornado — deadliest first.
Heavy RainFebruary 10, 2000
San Bernardino · 2 killed · 3 injured · $400K damage
Flash FloodJanuary 22, 2024
San Diego · 2 killed · $100K damage
High SurfDecember 3, 2007
San Francisco Peninsula Coast · 2 killed · $80K damage
Winter StormDecember 20, 1996
Greater Lake Tahoe Area · 2 killed · $75K damage
FloodMarch 8, 2000
Riverside · 2 killed · 4 injured · $60K damage
Dense FogDecember 11, 1998
San Joaquin T Nw/Stanislaus/X Sw Tuolumne/Sw Calaveras · 2 killed · 2 injured · $40K damage
High SurfMay 23, 2010
San Francisco · 2 killed · $25K damage
High SurfNovember 26, 2009
Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · 2 killed · $25K damage
Dense FogDecember 2, 2000
San Diego County Coasts · 2 killed · $15K damage
Flash FloodJanuary 22, 2017
San Diego · 2 killed · $10K damage
Winter WeatherOctober 10, 2008
Greater Lake Tahoe Area · 2 killed · $10K damage
High SurfMarch 12, 1996
Redwood Coast · 2 killed · $10K damage
Flash FloodAugust 31, 2021
Imperial · 2 killed · $5K damage
High SurfNovember 14, 2025
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 2 killed · 2 injured ·
SneakerwaveJanuary 19, 2025
Northern Monterey Bay · 2 killed ·
FloodNovember 23, 2024
Placer · 2 killed ·
Dust DevilAugust 4, 2024
Riverside · 2 killed · 2 injured ·
SneakerwaveJuly 16, 2024
Northern Monterey Bay · 2 killed ·
Excessive HeatJuly 2, 2024
Southern Sacramento Valley · 2 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJune 25, 2024
Motherlode/Camptonville To Groveland · 2 killed ·
Debris FlowFebruary 22, 2024
Shasta · 2 killed ·
FloodMay 1, 2023
Fresno · 2 killed ·
High SurfMarch 22, 2023
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 2 killed ·
Debris FlowDecember 27, 2022
Mariposa · 2 killed ·
WildfireSeptember 5, 2022
San Bernardino And Riverside County Valleys - The Inland Empire · 2 killed · 3 injured ·
WildfireSeptember 2, 2022
Central Siskiyou County · 2 killed ·
HeatAugust 18, 2021
Death Valley National Park · 2 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 14, 2021
West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada · 2 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJanuary 1, 2019
Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose · 2 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillDecember 25, 2018
Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose · 2 killed ·
WildfireJuly 13, 2018
S Sierra Foothills · 2 killed · 9 injured ·
WildfireJuly 13, 2018
S Sierra Mtns · 2 killed · 9 injured ·
HeatAugust 12, 2017
Eastern Mojave Desert · 2 killed ·
Excessive HeatJune 17, 2017
Central Sacramento Valley · 2 killed · 2 injured ·
WildfireJune 23, 2016
Kern Cty Mtns · 2 killed ·
High SurfJanuary 16, 2016
Northern Monterey Bay · 2 killed ·
WildfireSeptember 9, 2015
West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada · 2 killed · 1 injured ·
Flash FloodOctober 25, 2014
Shasta · 2 killed ·
Rip CurrentMay 29, 2014
San Diego County Coastal Areas · 2 killed ·
Strong WindOctober 27, 2013
Northern San Joaquin Valley · 2 killed · 2 injured ·
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Counts are every logged event since 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.