NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Capistrano Beach, 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 Capistrano Beach, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 27
- 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 Capistrano Beach
The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on November 7, 1966; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 27, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. February has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on September 22, 2007. Capistrano Beach has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 78% of the 705 California cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 1998, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 705 California cities, 44% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Capistrano Beach.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Capistrano Beach
By decade
- 2000s5
- 1990s11
- 1980s4
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1966 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 21, 1997 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 11, 1997 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1982 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 31, 1979 | F1 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1978 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 7, 1966 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1958 | F1 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 2007 | EF0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 19, 2005 | F0 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Capistrano Beach
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Capistrano Beach since 1998. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 2 days, most recently September 10, 2011. The most recent report is from September 10, 2011.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Capistrano Beach
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Laguna Beach, CA, 9 miles northwest of Capistrano Beach at 44 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 61°F; December is the coolest, at 67°F and 44°F. February is the wettest at 3.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 12.7 inches over 23 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from September to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 1 nights a year. That 12.7 inches is more than at 76 of the 226 California stations used on this site (34%). Mission Viejo, 11 miles north, has its own station (Irvine Rch, CA): 13.0 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and an August average high of 90°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | 44 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Feb | 68 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 48 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 0.8 | 2 |
| May | 75 | 55 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 76 | 58 | 0.1 | 1 |
| Jul | 80 | 60 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 77 | 55 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Nov | 72 | 49 | 1.1 | 1 |
| Dec | 67 | 44 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Year | 74 | 52 | 12.7 | 23 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Laguna Beach, CA (44 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 Capistrano Beach
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 25 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Capistrano Beach: 9 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 5 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $12.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on January 19, 2010. February has had the most flash floods, 3 of 7. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 226 have had fewer than Capistrano Beach.
December 22, 2010: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Capistrano Beach — $12.3 million 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 Capistrano Beach's ZIP code 92624 have filed 63 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $715,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1983: 18 claims (29% of all) and $93,000. 44% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 415 California cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 267 have fewer than Capistrano Beach.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1983 | 18 | $93,000 |
Orange County, which includes Capistrano Beach, has been named in 43 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 20 fires, 11 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 22, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Orange County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding; Relatively High for coastal flooding and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $1.93 billion a year, the 5th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $819.9 million (43%), 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 Capistrano Beach
- Dana Point, CA2 mi
- San Juan Capistrano, CA3 mi
- San Clemente, CA3 mi
- Laguna Niguel, CA5 mi
- Ladera Ranch, CA8 mi
- Laguna Beach, CA8 mi
- Aliso Viejo, CA9 mi
- Laguna Hills, CA10 mi
- Mission Viejo, CA11 mi
- Laguna Woods, CA11 mi
- Lake Forest, CA12 mi
- Rancho Santa Margarita, CA13 mi
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