NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Firebaugh, 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 Firebaugh, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 12
- 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 Firebaugh
The highest rating among the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 3 times; the most recent, on February 14, 1998, came within 7 miles. Of the 12, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. March and April have had the most tornadoes, 4 each. The most recent tornado was on March 2, 2019. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Firebaugh. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2007, with stones up to 0.75 inches (penny size). Of the 705 California cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Firebaugh.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Firebaugh
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s6
- 1970s1
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 14, 1998 | F1 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2019 | EF0 | 11 mi | 0.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 17, 2012 | EF0 | 19 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 27, 2000 | F0 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1998 | F0 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 14, 1998 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 1997 | F0 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1996 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1991 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1975 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Firebaugh
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Firebaugh, all from October 29, 2007. None of them reached 1 inch. The largest was 0.75 inches (penny size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Firebaugh
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Los Banos Det Resv, CA, 23 miles northwest of Firebaugh at 407 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 66°F; December is the coolest, at 56°F and 39°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 87 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 8 nights a year. That 8.0 inches is more than at 31 of the 226 California stations used on this site (14%). Dos Palos, 16 miles north, has its own station (Los Banos, CA): 9.7 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 41 | 1.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 61 | 43 | 1.6 | 5 |
| Mar | 67 | 47 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 0.4 | 2 |
| May | 81 | 56 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Jun | 89 | 61 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 95 | 66 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 94 | 65 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 90 | 62 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Nov | 66 | 46 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 56 | 39 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Year | 76 | 53 | 8.0 | 26 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Los Banos Det Resv, CA (407 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 Firebaugh
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 9 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Firebaugh: 4 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 2 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $10,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 59 mph, on September 11, 2017.
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
Fresno County, which includes Firebaugh, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 3, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fresno County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $557.3 million a year, the 13th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $166.1 million (30%), 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 Firebaugh
- Mendota, CA11 mi
- Dos Palos, CA16 mi
- Los Banos, CA23 mi
- Chowchilla, CA27 mi
- Kerman, CA27 mi
- San Joaquin, CA27 mi
- Madera, CA32 mi
- Merced, CA33 mi
- Le Grand, CA35 mi
- Gustine, CA37 mi
- Planada, CA37 mi
- Atwater, CA38 mi
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