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.
High WindFebruary 10, 2026
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 1 killed ·
AvalancheJanuary 5, 2026
Greater Lake Tahoe Area · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodJanuary 3, 2026
Santa Barbara · 1 killed ·
Heavy RainJanuary 2, 2026
Placer · 1 killed ·
AvalancheDecember 26, 2025
Mono · 1 killed ·
FloodDecember 26, 2025
Colusa · 1 killed · 3 injured ·
Strong WindDecember 24, 2025
San Diego County Coastal Areas · 1 killed ·
FloodDecember 24, 2025
Sacramento · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillDecember 20, 2025
Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose · 1 killed ·
SneakerwaveDecember 3, 2025
San Francisco Peninsula Coast · 1 killed ·
High SurfNovember 22, 2025
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 1 killed · 2 injured ·
FloodNovember 14, 2025
Sutter · 1 killed ·
High SurfNovember 5, 2025
Northern Monterey Bay · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
HeatAugust 3, 2025
Motherlode/Camptonville To Groveland · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 19, 2025
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 18, 2025
Motherlode/Camptonville To Groveland · 1 killed ·
High SurfMarch 25, 2025
Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · 1 killed ·
High SurfMarch 2, 2025
Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · 1 killed ·
FloodFebruary 13, 2025
Monterey · 1 killed ·
FloodFebruary 5, 2025
Sonoma · 1 killed ·
FloodFebruary 4, 2025
Sonoma · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillDecember 30, 2024
Eastern Sierra Slopes Of Inyo County · 1 killed ·
High SurfDecember 23, 2024
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 1 killed ·
High SurfDecember 23, 2024
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 1 killed ·
High SurfDecember 23, 2024
Northern Monterey Bay · 1 killed ·
FloodNovember 23, 2024
Sonoma · 1 killed ·
SneakerwaveOctober 16, 2024
Northern Humboldt Coast · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Cold/Wind ChillAugust 6, 2024
Northern San Joaquin Valley · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillAugust 4, 2024
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillAugust 3, 2024
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
HeatAugust 1, 2024
Death Valley National Park · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatJuly 3, 2024
Death Valley National Park · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Excessive HeatJuly 2, 2024
Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose · 1 killed ·
HeatJune 23, 2024
San Diego County Valleys · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Cold/Wind ChillJune 15, 2024
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 25, 2024
Northern San Joaquin Valley · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 12, 2024
Motherlode/Camptonville To Groveland · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 9, 2024
Northern San Joaquin Valley · 1 killed ·
High SurfMay 1, 2024
Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · 1 killed ·
FloodFebruary 7, 2024
Placer · 1 killed ·
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.