NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit California City, 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 California City, 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 California City
The highest rating among the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 1, 2007, came within 16 miles. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than California City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 2005, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). California City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 705 California cities.
Compare California City's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of California City
By decade
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2007 | EF0 | 16 mi | 13.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1995 | F0 | 11 mi | 2 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 California City
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of California City, all from August 15, 2005. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest was 1.75 inches (golf ball size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in California City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mojave, CA, 15 miles southwest of California City at 2,735 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 69°F; December is the coolest, at 57°F and 32°F. February is the wettest at 1.5 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 5.7 inches over 13 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 110 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 40 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 5.7 inches is more than at 19 of the 226 California stations used on this site (8%). Boron, 16 miles southeast, has its own station (Randsburg, CA): 6.8 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 101°F against 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 33 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 60 | 35 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 67 | 40 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 72 | 45 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 53 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 91 | 64 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 97 | 69 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 97 | 67 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 90 | 61 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 49 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 66 | 39 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 32 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.4 |
| Year | 76 | 49 | 5.7 | 13 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mojave, CA (2,735 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 California City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 7 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of California City: 5 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on August 15, 2005. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 163 have had fewer than California City.
July 12, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of California City — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “NWS Incident Meteorologists reported heavy rain that hit the Piute wildfire area caused flash flooding into the Lake Isabella area. Mud and debris flow swept into the town of Lake Isabella causing evacuations and helicopter rescues in and around the town.”
August 15, 2005: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of California City — $199,000 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
Kern County, which includes California City, has been named in 40 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 fires, 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Hilary, on November 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kern County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $417.0 million a year, the 16th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $147.2 million (35%), 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.