NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Calipatria, 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 Calipatria, 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 Calipatria
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Calipatria; the strongest was Nora in 1997, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. Calipatria 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 20 miles. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 1997. Of the 705 California cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Calipatria. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2005, with stones of 0.75 inches (penny size). Of the 705 California cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Calipatria.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Calipatria
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | NoraSep 25 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Calipatria: 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 Calipatria
By decade
- 1990s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 1993 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1997 | F0 | 25 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1992 | F0 | 20 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 Calipatria
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Calipatria, from February 19, 2005: 0.75 inches (penny size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Calipatria
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Brawley 2 SW, CA, 13 miles south of Calipatria. 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%). Niland, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Chiriaco Summit, CA): 4.8 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and an August average high of 102°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 Calipatria
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 13 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Calipatria: 8 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 14, 1999.
August 31, 2021: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Calipatria — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “An article from a local newspaper reported numerous transmission and distribution power poles were down in an area between Calipatria and Niland due to damaging wind gusts. According to the Imperial Irrigation District, over 100 power poles were knocked down by the storm.”
September 8, 2017: thunderstorm wind in Calipatria — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms developed across the central portion of Imperial County during the early afternoon hours and they moved quickly to the north, producing strong gusty and damaging outflow winds which impacted portions of the Imperial Valley as well as the town of Calipatria.”
July 13, 2012: flood 6 miles from the centre of Calipatria — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Scattered thunderstorms developed across Imperial county during the late morning and then continued well into the day on July 13th. The storms generated heavy rain over central portions of the county, including Calipatria, and this led to areal flooding of roads, washes and low lying areas.”
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 Calipatria, 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 Calipatria
- Brawley, CA10 mi
- Niland, CA15 mi
- Imperial, CA20 mi
- El Centro, CA24 mi
- Holtville, CA25 mi
- Heber, CA28 mi
- Calexico, CA31 mi
- Thermal, CA40 mi
- Mecca, CA40 mi
- Borrego Springs, CA44 mi
- Coachella, CA54 mi
- Indio, CA59 mi
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