NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brawley, 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 Brawley, 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, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Brawley
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brawley; the strongest was Nora in 1997, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. Brawley 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 F1 on August 29, 1993; its path came within 10 miles. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 1997. Of the 705 California cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Brawley. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2010, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 705 California cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brawley.
Compare Brawley's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brawley
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | NoraSep 25 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Brawley: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Brawley
By decade
- 1990s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 1993 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1997 | F0 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1992 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.2 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 Brawley
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Brawley since 2010. All were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on August 27, 2010. The most recent report is from September 9, 2013.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brawley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Brawley 2 SW, CA, 4 miles southwest of Brawley. August is the warmest, with an average high of 108°F and low of 78°F; December is the coolest, at 70°F and 41°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 181 days a year, almost all from March to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 6 nights a year. That 2.4 inches is more than at 0 of the 226 California stations used on this site (0%). Imperial, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Imperial, CA): 2.8 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and an August average high of 105°F against 108°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72 | 41 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Feb | 75 | 45 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Mar | 81 | 50 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Apr | 87 | 54 | 0.1 | 0 |
| May | 95 | 61 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jun | 104 | 68 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 108 | 77 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 108 | 78 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 104 | 71 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 93 | 60 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Nov | 80 | 49 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Dec | 70 | 41 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Year | 90 | 58 | 2.4 | 7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Brawley 2 SW, CA, 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 Brawley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 16 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brawley: 11 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $300,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 14, 1999.
September 8, 2017: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Brawley — $200,000 damage.
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
Imperial County, which includes Brawley, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 earthquakes). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Hilary, on November 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Imperial County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $147.6 million a year, the 30th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $42.5 million (29%), 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 Brawley
- Calipatria, CA10 mi
- Imperial, CA11 mi
- El Centro, CA15 mi
- Holtville, CA16 mi
- Heber, CA18 mi
- Calexico, CA21 mi
- Niland, CA24 mi
- Borrego Springs, CA46 mi
- Thermal, CA46 mi
- Mecca, CA48 mi
- San Luis, AZ54 mi
- Somerton, AZ54 mi
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