Dust Devil in California
Every dust devil event the National Weather Service has filed in California, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A small rotating column of dust from surface heating that caused damage or injury.
The most significant on the map
The most significant dust devil episodes in California.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 18
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 17
- Damage
- $84,000
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Dust Devil in California, August 4, 2024There were 2 skydivers in Lake Elsinore, one instructor and one recreationalist. While descending it was reported that a large dust devil extending over 100 feet above ground cause their parachute to twist and loose control. They accelerated to the ground.
- Dust Devil in California, April 26, 2008A strong dust devil resulted in damage and injuries at a church gathering in Montclair.
- Dust Devil in California, May 16, 2012A dust devil caused damage in Yucca Valley.
- High Wind and Dust Devil in California, May 12 to 14, 2014Surface high pressure over the Great Basin brought very strong and gusty northeast to east winds and hot weather from the 12th through the 14th, before the winds finally decreased. The hardest hit areas were the mountains and western foothills of Riverside and San Diego County.
- Strong Wind and Dust Devil in California, March 11 to 12, 2014Gusty northerly and easterly winds increased over the Central Valley, Delta, Southern Lake County, and Sierra Nevada and foothills. The event began early Tuesday March 11 and continued for some areas as late as mid-day Wednesday.
- Dust Devil in California, May 27, 2003Three vehicles were damaged by a dust devil. All three vehicles had the windows blown out. The occupants of one of the vehicle reported an approaching wall of dust, feeling the wind hit their vehicle, hearing the windows break.
- Dust Devil in California, September 15, 1996Merchandise and pieces of tarpaulin were sent flying through the air, as a dust devil developed at a swap meet in the city of San Diego. One woman was taken to the hospital with a leg injury, and several booths were knocked down.
- High Wind and Dust Devils in California, April 1 to 9, 1997Strong northwest winds, gusting up to 65 mph, developed across the valleys of Los Angeles county. Numerouspower outages were caused by falling branches. In Covina, a garage fire occurred when a palm tree frond wasblown into a power line.
- High Wind and Dust Devil in California, April 8, 2013A strong upper level Pacific low pressure system brought strong, gusty and damaging winds to portions of southeast California on April 8th, especially the lower deserts of Imperial county.
- Flood and Hail in California, April 8 to 9, 2019Heavy rain flooded a road and brought a minor mudslide.
- Dust Devil in California, April 24, 2001A dust devil developed over White Oak Elementary School in the community of Westlake Village. A large canopy was damaged. Also, some minor roof damage was reported.
- Dust Devil in California, April 26, 2004A strong dust devil developed in the community of Orcutt. The dust devil peeled the shingles off of the roof of a house and also destroyed a storage shed.
- Dust Devil in California, September 5, 2004A strong dust devil ripped a sign off a fence and threw it 40 feet away over a house. Other debris was seen flying through the air around the dust devil.
- Dust Devil in California, June 8, 2005A large dust devil developed in the Central San Joaquin Valley in the town of Madera on the 8th. Some minor damage to playground equipment was reported with the dust devil wind.
- Dust Devil in California, April 23, 2012Several dust devils spun across the western Mojave Desert. One passed directly over the ASOS at Barstow-Daggett Airport.
- Dust Devil in California, June 19, 2013A formation of a dust devil caused damaged to a building in Redding, CA while California was under westerly flow aloft and winds were converging near the surface in the Northern Sacramento Valley. No injuries were reported.
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.