Tornado in California
Every tornado event the National Weather Service has filed in California, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
The most significant on the map
The most significant tornado 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
- 488
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 97
- Damage
- $136 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, February 23 to 24, 1998A powerful Pacific storm fed by warmer than normal El Nino conditions in the eastern Pacific, slammed into southern California with strong winds, thunderstorms, and very heavy rain. This was the final in a series of heavy storms which pummelled the region this month.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, January 23 to 25, 2008A very powerful winter storm brough significant weather to Central and Southern California. This storm produced several inches of rainfall across the area.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in California, March 1, 1983
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, March 20 to 23, 2018A warm plume of moist tropical air brought a very active period of weather to the area between the evening of March 20 and the evening of March 22.
- Tornado and Debris Flows in California, March 16 to 20, 2011A series of weather systems bringing heavy rain, strong winds, high surf, and a tornado affected the District on March 16-21, 2011. Two deaths occurred during this time.
- Tornado and Winter Storm in California, January 7 to 12, 2023A major winter storm brought strong winds with moderate to heavy rain bringing renewed flooding of already elevated waterways. There was flooding of roadways, urban areas, rivers, streams and creeks, with rockslides and mudslides also reported.
- Tornado in California, February 9, 1978
- Tornadoes and Debris Flows in California, January 5 to 7, 2019A vigorous cold front swept through California on January 5th bringing widespread rainfall and gusty winds.
- Tornadoes and Debris Flows in California, January 6 to 12, 2017Two strong storms brought a range of significant weather impacts to northern interior California. The first storm was very wet and warm, the second not quite as wet but cooler with lower snow levels. Both storms brought strong, damaging winds.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, December 21 to 23, 2012A series of storm systems, part of a large Atmospheric River type of pattern, impacted the area during late December 2012. From the 21st through 26th of December, heavy rain, gusty winds, flooding, and mudslides occurred across the Bay Area in these consecutive events.
- Tornadoes and Wildfire in California, September 4 to 30, 2020The Creek fire started at 633 pm PDT on September 4th (Labor Day Weekend) in the vicinity of Big Creek, California near the town of Shaver Lake. The fire was in an area of very heavy tree mortality in the Sierra National Forest.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in California, January 18 to 22, 2010A series of powerful winter storms affected Central and Southern California between the 18th and 22nd of January. As this series of storms moved across the area, they brought heavy rain, flash flooding, gusty winds, heavy snow and even severe weather to the area.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in California, January 17 to 22, 2010By January 13th, the medium-range forecast models were becoming consistent in predicting a major precipitation event that would affect interior central California beginning the 17th and continuing for several days.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in California, January 19, 2010The second in a series of powerful winter storms wreaked havoc on Southern California on January 19th. A strong southerly 925 mb jet ahead of the cold front contributed to moderate low-level wind shear.
- Tornadoes in California, November 7, 1966
- Tornado and Flash Flood in California, March 21 to 27, 2018Torrential rain from an atmospheric river with locally heavy convective showers brought flash flooding to portions of the northern Sierra and Motherlode foothills.
- Tornado in California, February 10, 1994A tornado formed behind a cold front and traveled through a housing subdivision in Oroville. A total of 47 homes were damaged. One home was destroyed while 25 others suffered major damage.
- Tornadoes in California, May 5, 1998A Tornado touched down in the Chevy Chase residential area of Sunnyvale, CA near Hwy 85. The storm survey assessed the Damage to 15 home and a large chucrch as a mininimal F2.. One woman was injured when struck by flying debris.
- Tornado in California, August 16, 1973
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in California, November 9, 1982
- Tornado in California, September 24, 1986
- Tornado in California, January 11, 1951
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in California, May 22, 2008A thunderstorm developed near Redlands around 3:30 PM and quickly became severe as it moved south-southwest toward Moreno Valley along the Elsinore Convergence Zone. This storm produced large swaths of hail, flash flooding, and at least four tornadoes.
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in California, August 6, 2015Monsoon moisture and some instability from an easterly wave resulted in scattered thunderstorms over the mountains and lower deserts. Most notable of these was a severe thunderstorm that occurred near Mecca in the southern Coachella Valley during the evening.
- Tornadoes in California, May 25, 2011Three tornadoes moved through Glenn and Butte Counties the evening of May 25, 2011. Significant damage was caused to several structures and thousands of almond trees were destroyed.
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.