NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bishop, 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 Bishop, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 2 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 2
- 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 Bishop
The highest rating among the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF0, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 3, 2018, came within 8 miles. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bishop. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2010, with stones up to 0.75 inches (penny size). Of the 705 California cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bishop.
Compare Bishop's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Bishop
By decade
- 2010s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2018 | EF0 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 2012 | EF0 | 25 mi | 1.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 2 of 2, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bishop
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Bishop since 2010. None of them reached 1 inch. The largest size, 0.75 inches (penny size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 8, 2015. The most recent report is from July 8, 2015.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bishop
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bishop Airport, CA, 6 miles north of Bishop at 4,102 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 100°F and low of 57°F; December is the coolest, at 55°F and 22°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 104 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. That 4.9 inches is more than at 14 of the 226 California stations used on this site (6%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 24 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Feb | 59 | 26 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Mar | 67 | 31 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Apr | 74 | 37 | 0.2 | 1 |
| May | 83 | 44 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 94 | 51 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 57 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Aug | 98 | 54 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 90 | 47 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 78 | 37 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Nov | 64 | 27 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Dec | 55 | 22 | 0.7 | 1 |
| Year | 76 | 38 | 4.9 | 11 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bishop Airport, CA (4,102 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 Bishop
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bishop: 12 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $65,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 62 mph, on August 18, 2020. July has had the most flash floods, 2 of 6. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 202 have had fewer than Bishop.
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
Inyo County, which includes Bishop, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Hilary, on November 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Inyo County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.3 million a year, the 53rd highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.4 million (33%), is from heat waves.
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 Bishop
- Tollhouse, CA59 mi
- Squaw Valley, CA59 mi
- Auberry, CA59 mi
- North Fork, CA62 mi
- Three Rivers, CA64 mi
- Oakhurst, CA65 mi
- Orange Cove, CA68 mi
- Orosi, CA68 mi
- Woodlake, CA71 mi
- Cutler, CA73 mi
- Coarsegold, CA74 mi
- Friant, CA74 mi
All California cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Bishop with another place →