NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit El Centro, 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 El Centro, 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 El Centro
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed El Centro; the strongest was Nora in 1997, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. El Centro 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 5 miles. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 1997. Of the 705 California cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than El Centro. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 1990, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). El Centro has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 705 California cities.
Compare El Centro's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near El Centro
Nora (1997) was moving north as it passed El Centro. Its centre passed 45 miles east of El Centro.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | NoraSep 25 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in El Centro: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of El Centro
By decade
- 1990s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 1993 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1997 | F0 | 5 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1992 | F0 | 5 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 El Centro
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of El Centro since 1990. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on August 14, 1990. The most recent report is from July 18, 2015.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in El Centro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is El Centro 2 SSW, CA, 2 miles southeast of El Centro. August is the warmest, with an average high of 107°F and low of 79°F; December is the coolest, at 70°F and 43°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 180 days a year, almost all from March to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 1 nights a year. That 2.6 inches is more than at 1 of the 226 California stations used on this site (0%). Imperial, 5 miles north, has its own station (Imperial, CA): 2.8 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and an August average high of 105°F against 107°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71 | 43 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Feb | 74 | 47 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Mar | 80 | 52 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Apr | 86 | 57 | 0.1 | 0 |
| May | 94 | 63 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jun | 103 | 71 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 107 | 78 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 107 | 79 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Sep | 102 | 73 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 92 | 62 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 79 | 51 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Dec | 70 | 43 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Year | 89 | 60 | 2.6 | 6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at El Centro 2 SSW, 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 El Centro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 80 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of El Centro: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 4 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 7, 2011. September has had the most flash floods, 6 of 13. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 341 have had fewer than El Centro.
August 10, 2021: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of El Centro — 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
January 22, 2024: flood 9 miles from the centre of El Centro — $4.0 million damage.
July 7, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of El Centro — $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
Imperial County, which includes El Centro, 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.