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 SurfSeptember 14, 2021
Northern Monterey Bay · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentSeptember 12, 2021
Northern Monterey Bay · 1 killed ·
Astronomical Low TideAugust 1, 2021
Mt Shasta/Western Plumas County · 1 killed ·
LightningJuly 30, 2021
Fresno · 1 killed ·
WildfireJuly 13, 2021
Mt Shasta/Western Plumas County · 1 killed · 3 injured ·
HeatJune 17, 2021
Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatJune 14, 2021
Riverside County Mountains · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Excessive HeatJune 14, 2021
Coachella Valley · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Excessive HeatJune 14, 2021
San Diego County Deserts · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
SneakerwaveMay 16, 2021
Northern Monterey Bay · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 16, 2021
Carquinez Strait And Delta · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 15, 2021
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Cold/Wind ChillMay 9, 2021
Northern San Joaquin Valley · 1 killed ·
Strong WindFebruary 23, 2021
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Strong WindFebruary 23, 2021
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Rip CurrentFebruary 21, 2021
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast · 1 killed ·
AvalancheFebruary 3, 2021
Western Siskiyou County · 1 killed ·
Flash FloodJanuary 29, 2021
San Diego · 1 killed · 8 injured ·
High SurfJanuary 18, 2021
San Francisco Peninsula Coast · 1 killed ·
High SurfJanuary 10, 2021
San Francisco Peninsula Coast · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
High SurfJanuary 10, 2021
Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · 1 killed ·
High SurfDecember 8, 2020
San Francisco Peninsula Coast · 1 killed ·
High SurfDecember 7, 2020
Northern Humboldt Coast · 1 killed · 2 injured ·
High SurfNovember 26, 2020
Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · 1 killed ·
WildfireNovember 17, 2020
Mono · 1 killed ·
Storm Surge/TideNovember 15, 2020
San Francisco · 1 killed ·
WildfireSeptember 5, 2020
San Bernardino County Mountains · 1 killed · 13 injured ·
Excessive HeatSeptember 4, 2020
Joshua Tree Np East · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatSeptember 4, 2020
Joshua Tree Np East · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatAugust 20, 2020
Joshua Tree Np East · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatAugust 18, 2020
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
WildfireAugust 17, 2020
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
WildfireAugust 17, 2020
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
WildfireAugust 16, 2020
Santa Cruz Mountains · 1 killed · 3 injured ·
WildfireAugust 15, 2020
West Side Hills · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatAugust 14, 2020
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatAugust 14, 2020
Southern Sacramento Valley · 1 killed ·
Excessive HeatAugust 13, 2020
Joshua Tree Np East · 1 killed ·
LightningJuly 25, 2020
Sierra · 1 killed · 1 injured ·
Rip CurrentJuly 1, 2020
San Francisco · 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.