NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit La Quinta, 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 La Quinta, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- 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 La Quinta
The strongest of the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF1 on August 6, 2015; its path came within 10 miles. The most recent tornado was on August 16, 2018. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than La Quinta. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 2008, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 705 California cities, 44% have more hail reports within 10 miles than La Quinta.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of La Quinta
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2015 | EF1 | 10 mi | 3.98 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 16, 2018 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 1985 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 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 La Quinta
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of La Quinta since 2008. 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 July 14, 2024. The most recent report is from July 14, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in La Quinta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Indio Fire Stn, CA, 5 miles northeast of La Quinta. July is the warmest, with an average high of 106°F and low of 83°F; December is the coolest, at 69°F and 45°F. January is the wettest at 0.7 inches of precipitation on average and May and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 3.1 inches over 6 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 184 days a year, almost all from March to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 1 nights a year. That 3.1 inches is more than at 4 of the 226 California stations used on this site (2%). Rancho Mirage, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Palm Springs Regional Airport, CA): 4.5 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 109°F against 106°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 47 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Feb | 73 | 51 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Mar | 80 | 57 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Apr | 86 | 63 | 0.1 | 0 |
| May | 93 | 69 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jun | 102 | 77 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 106 | 83 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 105 | 83 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 101 | 77 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 91 | 66 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 78 | 53 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Dec | 69 | 45 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Year | 88 | 64 | 3.1 | 6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Indio Fire Stn, 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 La Quinta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 51 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of La Quinta: 21 flash floods, 17 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $889,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 30, 2015. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 21. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 455 have had fewer than La Quinta.
October 17, 2005: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of La Quinta — $200,000 damage.
August 25, 2013: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of La Quinta — $200,000 damage.
August 25, 2013: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of La Quinta — $120,000 damage.
NWS: “Significant water flow on Whitewater storm channel through la quinta was reported by the Coachella Valley Water District. The water was contained in channel, but flowed through some golf courses.”
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 La Quinta's ZIP code 92253 have filed 57 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2014, with 28. 7% 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, 250 have fewer than La Quinta.
Riverside County, which includes La Quinta, 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.
Cities near La Quinta
- Indian Wells, CA3 mi
- Indio, CA5 mi
- Palm Desert, CA5 mi
- Coachella, CA7 mi
- Rancho Mirage, CA9 mi
- Thousand Palms, CA11 mi
- Cathedral City, CA13 mi
- Palm Springs, CA17 mi
- Thermal, CA20 mi
- Mecca, CA20 mi
- Desert Hot Springs, CA22 mi
- Anza, CA23 mi
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