NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Irvine, 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 Irvine, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 41
- 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 Irvine
The highest rating among the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 9, 1982, came within 21 miles. Of the 41, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. January has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on February 23, 2023. Irvine has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 89% of the 705 California cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 6 times since 1979, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Irvine has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 705 California cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Irvine
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s6
- 1990s18
- 1980s7
- 1970s3
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 9, 1982 | F2 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 7, 1966 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 19, 2010 | EF1 | 16 mi | 4.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 9, 1998 | F1 | 23 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 21, 1997 | F1 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 11, 1997 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 14, 1993 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 7, 1992 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 7, 1992 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 10 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1986 | F1 | 13 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1982 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Irvine
The Storm Prediction Center has 6 hail reports within 10 miles of Irvine since 1979, made on 5 separate days. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on January 31, 1979. The most recent report is from March 20, 2019.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Irvine
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tustin Irvine Rch, CA, 2 miles northeast of Irvine at 235 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 68°F and 43°F. February is the wettest at 3.4 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 14.2 inches over 25 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 35 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 2 nights a year. That 14.2 inches is more than at 94 of the 226 California stations used on this site (42%). Tustin, 4 miles north, has its own station (Santa Ana Fire Stn, CA): 12.6 inches a year, 1.6 less than here, and an August average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | 43 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 69 | 45 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Mar | 72 | 48 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 0.8 | 2 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 85 | 61 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 87 | 63 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 87 | 61 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 84 | 55 | 0.7 | 1 |
| Nov | 76 | 47 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Dec | 70 | 43 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Year | 77 | 52 | 14.2 | 25 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tustin Irvine Rch, CA (235 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 Irvine
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 76 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Irvine: 23 flash floods, 23 floods, 16 heavy rain events and 14 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $14.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 93 mph, on January 19, 2010. December has had the most flash floods, 7 of 23. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 471 have had fewer than Irvine.
December 22, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Irvine — $12.3 million damage.
December 14, 2021: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Irvine — $800,000 damage.
May 22, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Irvine — $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Irvine's 7 ZIP codes have filed 43 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $169,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Pineapple Express - Southern in 1998: 19 claims (44% of all) and $38,000. 47% 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, 218 have fewer than Irvine.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Pineapple Express - Southern1998 | 19 | $38,000 |
Orange County, which includes Irvine, 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 Irvine
- Tustin, CA4 mi
- Newport Coast, CA6 mi
- Lake Forest, CA6 mi
- Laguna Woods, CA6 mi
- Foothill Ranch, CA7 mi
- Laguna Hills, CA7 mi
- Santa Ana, CA7 mi
- Corona Del Mar, CA7 mi
- Newport Beach, CA8 mi
- Aliso Viejo, CA8 mi
- Costa Mesa, CA8 mi
- Mission Viejo, CA9 mi
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