NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Blythe, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Blythe, California since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Nora in 1997. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 3
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Blythe
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Blythe; the strongest was Nora in 1997, a tropical storm with 39 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. Blythe has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 98% of the 705 California cities on this site. The strongest of the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 16, 1973; its path passed within a mile of the city centre. The most recent tornado was on January 21, 2010. Of the 705 California cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Blythe. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 1979, with stones of 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 705 California cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Blythe.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Blythe
Nora (1997) was moving north as it passed Blythe. Its centre passed 7 miles west of Blythe.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | NoraSep 25 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Blythe: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Blythe
By decade
- 2010s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1973 | F3 | in town | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1983 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 2010 | EF0 | in town | 14.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Blythe
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Blythe, from September 13, 1979: 1 inch (quarter size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Blythe
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Blythe, CA, 2 miles southeast of Blythe at 268 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 110°F and low of 78°F; December is the coolest, at 66°F and 38°F. January and February are the wettest at 0.6 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 3.7 inches over 8 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 188 days a year, almost all from March to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 9 nights a year. That 3.7 inches is more than at 5 of the 226 California stations used on this site (2%). Quartzsite, AZ, 22 miles east, has its own station (Quartzsite, AZ): 4.8 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 109°F against 110°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69 | 40 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Feb | 73 | 43 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Mar | 81 | 49 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Apr | 89 | 55 | 0.1 | 0 |
| May | 98 | 63 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 106 | 71 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 110 | 78 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Aug | 109 | 78 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Sep | 104 | 71 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Oct | 91 | 57 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 78 | 47 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Dec | 66 | 38 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Year | 89 | 58 | 3.7 | 8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Blythe, CA (268 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 Blythe
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 33 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Blythe: 22 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on August 27, 1999. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 226 have had fewer than Blythe.
August 25, 2008: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Blythe — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were downed by strong winds in and near Blythe. Some homes also sustained some damage from these storms.”
January 21, 2010: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Blythe — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Winds associated with a line of storms caused widespread power outages. Power poles were downed and trees uprooted.”
July 6, 2001: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Blythe — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Winds blew down 16 power poles in Blythe and caused severe damage to a mobile home.”
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
Riverside County, which includes Blythe, has been named in 66 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 31 of them major disasters (by incident: 38 fires, 13 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Hilary, on November 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Riverside 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 tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.27 billion a year, the 2nd highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.13 billion (50%), 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 Blythe
- Quartzsite, AZ22 mi
- Parker, AZ37 mi
- Niland, CA61 mi
- Calipatria, CA62 mi
- Lake Havasu City, AZ63 mi
- Yuma, AZ65 mi
- Brawley, CA68 mi
- Holtville, CA71 mi
- Wellton, AZ71 mi
- Somerton, AZ73 mi
- Imperial, CA78 mi
- San Luis, AZ78 mi
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