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.
FloodFebruary 6, 2024
San Diego · 1 killed ·
Heavy SnowFebruary 4, 2024
San Bernardino County Mountains · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentNovember 25, 2023
San Francisco Peninsula Coast · 1 killed ·
High SurfNovember 10, 2023
Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · 1 killed ·
High WindAugust 30, 2023
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatJuly 14, 2023
Death Valley National Park · 1 killed ·
AvalancheJuly 2, 2023
Eastern Sierra Slopes Of Inyo County · 1 killed · 2 injured ·
Excessive HeatJuly 1, 2023
Death Valley National Park · 1 killed ·
AvalancheJune 14, 2023
Eastern Sierra Slopes Of Inyo County · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillJune 4, 2023
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 29, 2023
West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 27, 2023
Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Heavy SnowMarch 27, 2023
West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada · 1 killed ·
Strong WindMarch 21, 2023
San Francisco · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Strong WindMarch 21, 2023
San Francisco · 1 killed ·
FloodMarch 10, 2023
Alameda · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Heavy SnowFebruary 26, 2023
Motherlode/Camptonville To Groveland · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentJanuary 28, 2023
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 1 killed ·
Thunderstorm WindJanuary 14, 2023
San Francisco · 1 killed ·
FloodJanuary 9, 2023
Sonoma · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodJanuary 9, 2023
San Luis Obispo · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Flash FloodJanuary 9, 2023
San Luis Obispo · 1 killed ·
Strong WindJanuary 7, 2023
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Strong WindJanuary 7, 2023
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodJanuary 1, 2023
Sacramento · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodJanuary 1, 2023
Sacramento · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodJanuary 1, 2023
Sacramento · 1 killed ·
FloodDecember 31, 2022
Santa Clara · 1 killed ·
Strong WindDecember 31, 2022
Northern Monterey Bay · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillDecember 2, 2022
San Francisco Bay Shoreline · 1 killed ·
High SurfNovember 6, 2022
San Francisco Peninsula Coast · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Thunderstorm WindSeptember 4, 2022
San Bernardino · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatSeptember 4, 2022
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
LightningJune 22, 2022
Los Angeles · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentJune 14, 2022
San Diego County Coastal Areas · 1 killed ·
HeatJune 2, 2022
Death Valley National Park · 1 killed ·
Storm Surge/TideMay 29, 2022
Southwestern Humboldt · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
SneakerwaveMay 29, 2022
Southwestern Humboldt · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
HeatMay 16, 2022
Death Valley National Park · 1 killed ·
High SurfSeptember 20, 2021
Northern Monterey Bay · 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.