NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit California, KY
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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of California, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for California
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed California; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. The record near California begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 50 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than California. The highest rating among the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 23, 1968, killed 6 people. Of the 83, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on September 22, 2025. California has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 71 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). California has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare California's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near California
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in California: 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 California
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s16(2 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(3 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 15 mi | 78.7 mi | 6 / 364 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 11 mi | 9.85 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F4 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 4 / 65 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 19.8 mi | 2 / 39 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 13 mi | 24.1 mi | 1 / 33 |
| Aug 9, 1969 | F3 | 16 mi | 22.2 mi | 4 / 247 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 4 mi | 20.41 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 7 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 2022 | EF2 | 22 mi | 4.81 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 8, 1996 | F2 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 6 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in California
The Storm Prediction Center has 71 hail reports within 10 miles of California since 1969, made on 53 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 10, 1993. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in California
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chilo Meldahl Locks & Dam, OH, 10 miles southeast of California at 480 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 42.2 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. That 42.2 inches is more than at 0 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (0%). Alexandria, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Cincinnati Lunken Airport, OH): 43.5 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 55 | 32 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 66 | 41 | 4.1 | 7 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 45 | 28 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 42.2 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chilo Meldahl Locks & Dam, OH (480 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
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 236 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of California: 170 thunderstorm wind reports, 41 flash floods, 23 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 25, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 13 of 41. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 229 have had fewer than California.
April 2, 2024: flood 10 miles from the centre of California — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
April 7, 2025: flood 10 miles from the centre of California — 1 killed.
June 10, 1999: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of California — $500,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in California's ZIP code 41007 have filed 27 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $467,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 18 claims (67% of all) and $439,000. 78% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 143 Kentucky cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 54 have fewer than California.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 18 | $439,000 |
Campbell County, which includes California, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 24, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Campbell County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.0 million a year, the 21st highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.5 million (52%), 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.