NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Barstow, 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 Barstow, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 7 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 7
- 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 Barstow
The strongest of the 7 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on June 25, 1954; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 7, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on August 18, 2013. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Barstow. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 6 times since 2005, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Barstow has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 705 California cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Barstow
By decade
- 2010s1
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 1954 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1997 | F1 | 18 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1997 | F1 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2013 | EF0 | 18 mi | 1.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1990 | F0 | 9 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 1990 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1986 | F0 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 7 of 7, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Barstow
The Storm Prediction Center has 6 hail reports within 10 miles of Barstow since 2005, made on 5 separate days. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on July 1, 2016, the most recent report.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Barstow
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Barstow, CA, in Barstow at 2,220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 102°F and low of 72°F; December is the coolest, at 57°F and 35°F. February is the wettest at 1.0 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 5.2 inches over 13 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 133 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 32 nights a year. That 5.2 inches is more than at 15 of the 226 California stations used on this site (7%). Helendale, 19 miles southwest, has its own station (Victorville, CA): 5.6 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 98°F against 102°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 35 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Feb | 63 | 39 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 70 | 44 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 77 | 49 | 0.3 | 1 |
| May | 86 | 57 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 96 | 65 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 102 | 72 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Aug | 101 | 70 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 93 | 63 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 81 | 53 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Nov | 68 | 42 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Dec | 57 | 35 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Year | 79 | 52 | 5.2 | 13 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Barstow, CA (2,220 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 Barstow
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Barstow: 37 flash floods, 11 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $797,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on July 16, 2003. July has had the most flash floods, 13 of 37. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 525 have had fewer than Barstow.
September 19, 2025: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Barstow — 1 killed, 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding on Main Street between Lenwood Road and Sweeten Lane swept away a car, killing a two-year old boy and injuring his father.”
August 3, 2014: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Barstow — 2 injured, $200,000 damage.
NWS: “One to two feet of water flowed through streets in southwest Barstow. At least five swift water rescues took place, three homes were flooded with water and mud, and a 20-inch sewer line was ruptured.”
July 1, 2016: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Barstow — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Eight to 12 inches of water flowed over Rimrock Road near and east of H Street. A swift water rescue occurred at Center St.”
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 Barstow's ZIP code 92311 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $120,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 415 California cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 76 have fewer than Barstow.
San Bernardino County, which includes Barstow, has been named in 61 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 33 fires, 13 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). 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 San Bernardino County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding; Relatively High for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.08 billion a year, the 3rd highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $959.6 million (46%), 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 Barstow
- Helendale, CA19 mi
- Newberry Springs, CA23 mi
- Apple Valley, CA29 mi
- Lucerne Valley, CA29 mi
- Adelanto, CA32 mi
- Victorville, CA32 mi
- Boron, CA37 mi
- Hesperia, CA38 mi
- Oak Hills, CA40 mi
- Phelan, CA42 mi
- Lake Arrowhead, CA45 mi
- Big Bear City, CA45 mi
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