NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Avenal, 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 Avenal, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 1 tornado has touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 1
- 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 Avenal
The only tornado within 25 miles was an EF0 on May 19, 2019; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Avenal. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 1980, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 705 California cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Avenal.
Compare Avenal's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Avenal
By decade
- 2010s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2019 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 1 of 1, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Avenal
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Avenal since 1980. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 28, 1980. The most recent report is from September 20, 2005.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Avenal
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kettleman City, CA, 10 miles northeast of Avenal at 240 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 99°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 36°F. February and March are the wettest at 1.5 inches of precipitation on average and June and August the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 7.6 inches over 19 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 118 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 29 nights a year. That 7.6 inches is more than at 29 of the 226 California stations used on this site (13%). Huron, 19 miles north, has its own station (Lemoore Reeves NAS, CA): 7.1 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 98°F against 99°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 36 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Feb | 63 | 40 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Mar | 70 | 43 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Apr | 76 | 48 | 0.6 | 2 |
| May | 84 | 55 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Jun | 92 | 62 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 99 | 68 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 98 | 66 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 92 | 61 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 81 | 51 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Nov | 67 | 41 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Dec | 58 | 36 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Year | 78 | 51 | 7.6 | 19 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kettleman City, CA (240 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 Avenal
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 11 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Avenal: 6 floods, 3 flash floods, 1 thunderstorm wind report and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on September 20, 2005.
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
Kings County, which includes Avenal, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 3, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kings County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for heat waves; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $96.0 million a year, the 38th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.8 million (26%), 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 Avenal
- Huron, CA19 mi
- Lost Hills, CA19 mi
- Coalinga, CA22 mi
- Lemoore, CA31 mi
- Corcoran, CA32 mi
- Armona, CA34 mi
- Riverdale, CA37 mi
- Hanford, CA37 mi
- Paso Robles, CA39 mi
- Laton, CA41 mi
- Santa Margarita, CA42 mi
- Templeton, CA44 mi
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