Tornadoes · United States · California
Tornadoes in Orange County, California
32 tornadoes have crossed Orange County since 1950, 4th of the 48 counties in California with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.4 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 13. None was rated F4 or above.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
Now
- Tornadoes
- 32
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 13
- F4 and above
- 0
- Worst on record
- F3, February 9, 1978
The strongest
Every year with a tornado
The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Orange County. Each year links to every tornado in California that year.
Every tornado that crossed Orange County
32 tornadoes, newest first.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 19, 2010 | 12:55 PM PST | EF1 | Orange | 4.6 | 25 | $500,000 | ||
| September 22, 2007 | 11:00 AM PDT | EF0 | Orange | 0.1 | 15 | |||
| February 19, 2005 | 7:42 AM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.2 | 20 | $10,000 | ||
| February 24, 2001 | 1:50 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.1 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| February 24, 1998 | 1:30 AM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.3 | 30 | $20,000 | ||
| December 21, 1997 | 1:40 PM PST | F1 | Orange | 1.0 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| November 11, 1997 | 12:40 PM PST | F1 | Orange | 0.2 | 200 | |||
| February 7, 1994 | 8:15 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 9.0 | 73 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| November 11, 1993 | 11:30 AM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.1 | 10 | 2 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| February 8, 1993 | 12:20 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.5 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| January 18, 1993 | 2:05 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| January 17, 1993 | 7:30 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.1 | 10 | 1 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| January 14, 1993 | 1:40 AM PST | F1 | Orange | 1.0 | 30 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| December 29, 1992 | 1:30 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| December 7, 1992 | 10:30 AM PST | F1 | Orange | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| December 7, 1992 | 7:30 AM PST | F1 | Orange | 0.1 | 10 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| March 27, 1991 | 10:35 PM PST | F1 | Orange | 3.0 | 53 | |||
| February 28, 1991 | 2:45 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| January 18, 1988 | 12:00 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.2 | 10 | $50 to $500 | ||
| January 18, 1988 | 11:30 AM PST | F0 | Orange | 1.5 | 13 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| March 16, 1986 | 7:30 AM PST | F1 | Orange | 1.2 | 40 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| January 13, 1984 | 6:19 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| November 9, 1982 | 1:00 PM PST | F0 | Orange | 0.1 | 150 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| November 9, 1982 | 1:00 PM PST | F1 | Orange | 0.2 | 33 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| January 31, 1979 | 11:30 AM PST | F1 | Orange | 2.0 | 10 | |||
| February 9, 1978 | 1:55 AM PST | F3 | Orange | 2.0 | 67 | 6 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| March 16, 1977 | 6:30 PM PST | F1 | Orange | 10.9 | 10 | 4 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| November 7, 1966 | 1:15 PM GMT-8 | F2 | Orange | 0.2 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| November 7, 1966 | 9:09 AM GMT-8 | F1 | Orange | 0.5 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| April 8, 1965 | 11:00 AM GMT-8 | F1 | Orange | 0.1 | 30 | $50 to $500 | ||
| February 19, 1962 | 3:30 AM GMT-8 | F0 | Orange | 2.0 | 10 | $50 to $500 | ||
| April 1, 1958 | 9:30 AM GMT-8 | F1 | Orange | 0.5 | 30 | $50 to $500 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Orange CountyThe forecast for Orange CountyThe live radar over Orange CountyEvery county in California
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.