NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Borrego Springs, 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 Borrego Springs, 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 Borrego Springs
The highest rating among the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 12, 1999, came within 14 miles. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Borrego Springs. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2004, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 705 California cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Borrego Springs.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Borrego Springs
By decade
- 1990s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 1999 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1997 | F0 | 5 mi | 0.1 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 Borrego Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Borrego Springs since 2004. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1 inch (quarter size), fell on September 11, 2004. The most recent report is from July 13, 2012.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Borrego Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ocotillo Wells 2W, CA, 6 miles east of Borrego Springs at 390 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 108°F and low of 83°F; December is the coolest, at 68°F and 47°F. February is the wettest at 0.8 inches of precipitation on average and May and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 4.1 inches over 7 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 182 days a year, almost all from March to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 1 nights a year. That 4.1 inches is more than at 7 of the 226 California stations used on this site (3%). Julian, 19 miles southwest, has its own station (Cuyamaca, CA): 30.4 inches a year, 26.3 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 108°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69 | 49 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Feb | 73 | 52 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Mar | 80 | 58 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Apr | 86 | 61 | 0.1 | 0 |
| May | 94 | 69 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jun | 102 | 76 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 108 | 83 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 108 | 84 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Sep | 102 | 78 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 91 | 68 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Nov | 79 | 56 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Dec | 68 | 47 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Year | 88 | 65 | 4.1 | 7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ocotillo Wells 2W, CA (390 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 Borrego Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 37 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Borrego Springs: 20 flash floods, 10 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $335,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on August 29, 2000. August has had the most flash floods, 10 of 20. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 449 have had fewer than Borrego Springs.
August 25, 2013: flash flood in Borrego Springs — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Borrego Springs Valley Road from Rango Way to Tilting T Road, Borrego Springs Road (S-33) from San Pablo to Yaqui Pass, and S-22 (Montezuma grade) were closed all of Sunday night due to debris and flooding. Mobile homes were flooded in the DeAnza Mobile Home Park.”
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 Borrego Springs's ZIP code 92004 have filed 57 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $1.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 22. 11% 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, 250 have fewer than Borrego Springs.
San Diego County, which includes Borrego Springs, 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 Borrego Springs
- Julian, CA19 mi
- Thermal, CA23 mi
- Mecca, CA29 mi
- Pine Valley, CA31 mi
- La Quinta, CA34 mi
- Anza, CA35 mi
- Coachella, CA35 mi
- Ramona, CA35 mi
- Camp Pendleton, CA36 mi
- Indian Wells, CA36 mi
- Alpine, CA37 mi
- Indio, CA38 mi
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