NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Alpine, CA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Alpine, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 11 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 11
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Alpine
The highest rating among the 11 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 3 times; the most recent, on November 10, 2000, came within 18 miles. Of the 11, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. February has had the most tornadoes, 3. The most recent tornado was on April 22, 2019. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Alpine. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 2002, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Of the 705 California cities, 44% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Alpine.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Alpine
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s3
- 1990s3
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 10, 2000 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 1991 | F1 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1956 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 11, 2006 | F0 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 23, 2005 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1999 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 14, 1990 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 4, 1985 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 18, 1979 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 23, 1971 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 2019 | Unrated | 15 mi | 0.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 11 of 11, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Alpine
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Alpine since 2002. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on September 2, 2003. The most recent report is from August 11, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Alpine
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alpine, CA, 2 miles west of Alpine at 1,695 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 62°F; December is the coolest, at 63°F and 42°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 55 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 3 nights a year. That 16.1 inches is more than at 115 of the 226 California stations used on this site (51%). Jamul, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (El Cajon, CA): 11.6 inches a year, 4.5 less than here, and the same August average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 43 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 64 | 42 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Mar | 67 | 44 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 1.2 | 3 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Jun | 81 | 54 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 87 | 60 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 89 | 62 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 86 | 60 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Oct | 78 | 54 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Nov | 71 | 48 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Dec | 63 | 42 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Year | 75 | 51 | 16.1 | 29 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alpine, CA (1,695 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Alpine
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Alpine: 7 heavy rain events, 7 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $33,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on August 1, 2017. August has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 163 have had fewer than Alpine.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Alpine's ZIP code 91901 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $22,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 17% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 415 California cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 19 have fewer than Alpine.
San Diego County, which includes Alpine, has been named in 51 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 28 fires, 12 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on February 19, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives San Diego County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding; Relatively High for heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail, coastal flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $1.54 billion a year, the 7th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $647.6 million (42%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Alpine
- Jamul, CA9 mi
- Lakeside, CA10 mi
- El Cajon, CA11 mi
- Santee, CA15 mi
- Pine Valley, CA15 mi
- Camp Pendleton, CA15 mi
- Ramona, CA16 mi
- Spring Valley, CA16 mi
- La Mesa, CA16 mi
- Lemon Grove, CA18 mi
- Julian, CA19 mi
- Campo, CA19 mi
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