NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hemet, 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 Hemet, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 20
- 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 Hemet
The strongest of the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on May 22, 2008; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 20, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on October 8, 2022. Hemet has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 705 California cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 4 times since 1990, with stones up to 0.88 inches (nickel size). Hemet has more hail reports within 10 miles than 55% of the 705 California cities.
Compare Hemet's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hemet
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4
- 2000s10
- 1990s3
- 1970s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2008 | EF2 | 20 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 19, 2005 | F1 | 19 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 22, 1996 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1974 | F1 | 2 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 8, 2022 | EF0 | 13 mi | 1.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 2018 | EF0 | 19 mi | 0.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 17, 2015 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 2012 | EF0 | 16 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2012 | EF0 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF0 | 22 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hemet
The Storm Prediction Center has 4 hail reports within 10 miles of Hemet since 1990, made on 2 separate days. None of them reached 1 inch. The largest, 0.88 inches (nickel size), fell on July 23, 2005, the most recent report.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hemet
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hemet, CA, 4 miles east of Hemet at 1,811 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 66°F; December is the coolest, at 65°F and 43°F. February is the wettest at 2.8 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 11.7 inches over 22 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 121 days a year, almost all from April to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 13 nights a year. That 11.7 inches is more than at 56 of the 226 California stations used on this site (25%). San Jacinto, 5 miles north, has its own station (San Jacinto, CA): 12.4 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and the same August average high, 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 44 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Feb | 67 | 46 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 71 | 47 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Apr | 75 | 50 | 0.7 | 2 |
| May | 81 | 54 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Jun | 89 | 56 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 96 | 65 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 97 | 66 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Sep | 92 | 62 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Oct | 82 | 55 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Nov | 73 | 49 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 65 | 43 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Year | 80 | 53 | 11.7 | 22 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hemet, CA (1,811 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 Hemet
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 42 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hemet: 15 flash floods, 15 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 heavy rain events and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $12.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 31, 1998. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 15. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 381 have had fewer than Hemet.
February 14, 2019: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Hemet — $10.0 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall of 4 to 8 inches of occurred in less than 24 hours (heaviest during the morning and early afternoon hours on February 14). Debris flows and heavy runoff into the San Jacinto creek caused widespread damage to state highway 74 including complete wash outs at Strawberry Creek below the Cranston Burn Scar.”
August 16, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Hemet — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Rob Balfour reported strong winds at the Buck Fire base camp at Diamond Lake, with estimated max gusts of 60 mph. The winds destroyed two large tents, several camping tents and some awnings.”
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 Hemet's 3 ZIP codes have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $61,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 20% 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, 155 have fewer than Hemet.
Riverside County, which includes Hemet, has been named in 66 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 31 of them major disasters (by incident: 38 fires, 13 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Hilary, on November 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Riverside County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding; Relatively High for heat waves; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.27 billion a year, the 2nd highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.13 billion (50%), 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.