NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit California, MD
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
49 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of California, Maryland since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 46
- Tornadoes
- 72
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for California
The strongest storm to pass near California was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 94 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near California begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 36 miles away. The 1870s and the 1880s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 49 systems, 7 have come since 2000. California has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 14% of the 239 Maryland cities on this site. The strongest of the 72 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 2002; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 72, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. May and July have had the most tornadoes, 14 each. The most recent tornado was on July 1, 2025. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than California. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). California has more hail reports within 10 miles than 55% of the 239 Maryland cities.
Compare California's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near California
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | GastonAug 31 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1983 | DeanSep 30 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1963 | Unnamed 1963 stormJun 3 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 62 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 58 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 23 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 34 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 27 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
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
- 2020s10
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19(2 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s5
- 1970s5
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2002 | F4 | 12 mi | 38 mi | 3 / 122 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF3 | 13 mi | 30.34 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 15 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 4.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 1983 | F2 | 5 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1978 | F2 | 22 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 5.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2022 | EF1 | 18 mi | 4.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF1 | 22 mi | 3.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2015 | EF1 | 9 mi | 16.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in California
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of California since 1962, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 13, 2013. The most recent report is from May 22, 2025. June has the most reports, 18.
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 Patuxent River NAS, MD, 6 miles east of California at 39 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 30°F. August is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (24.8 of 45.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 49 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (19); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 68 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 45.4 inches is more than at 19 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (46%). Port Republic, 13 miles north, has its own station (Mechanicsville 5 NE, MD): 48.1 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Solomons Island, MD, 4 miles east, averaged 82°F in July and 41°F in February over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Solomons Island tide gauge, 4 miles from California, has risen 1.62 ± 0.05 inches per decade from 1937 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 16.2 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 99 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 30 | 2.9 | 5 | 3.9 | 42 |
| Feb | 48 | 31 | 2.8 | 6 | 6.0 | 41 |
| Mar | 55 | 37 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.3 | 47 |
| Apr | 66 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 | 56 |
| May | 75 | 57 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Jun | 83 | 66 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 | 75 |
| Jul | 87 | 71 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 | 82 |
| Aug | 85 | 69 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 | 82 |
| Sep | 79 | 63 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 | 78 |
| Oct | 69 | 52 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 | 68 |
| Nov | 58 | 41 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 | 58 |
| Dec | 50 | 34 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.3 | 47 |
| Year | 67 | 50 | 45.4 | 72 | 12.5 | 62 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Patuxent River NAS, MD (39 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Solomons Island, MD, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 315 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of California: 218 thunderstorm wind reports, 57 floods, 36 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. 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 90 mph, on April 21, 2021. September has had the most flash floods, 12 of 36. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 118 have had fewer than California.
February 7, 2020: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of California — $300,000 damage.
June 4, 2008: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of California — $250,000 damage.
August 9, 2005: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of California — $100,000 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
St. Mary's County, which includes California, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 5 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Isaias, on February 4, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives St. Mary's County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, coastal flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.5 million a year, the 15th highest of 24 Maryland counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.2 million (32%), 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 California
- Great Mills, MD3 mi
- Hollywood, MD4 mi
- Lexington Park, MD6 mi
- Lusby, MD7 mi
- Leonardtown, MD7 mi
- Saint Leonard, MD10 mi
- Port Republic, MD13 mi
- Mechanicsville, MD14 mi
- Prince Frederick, MD16 mi
- Montross, VA18 mi
- Hughesville, MD20 mi
- Charlotte Hall, MD20 mi
All Maryland cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare California with another place →