NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ladera Ranch, 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 Ladera Ranch, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 30 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 30
- 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 Ladera Ranch
The strongest of the 30 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on November 7, 1966; its path came within 17 miles. Of the 30, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. February has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on May 22, 2008. Ladera Ranch has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 705 California cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2000, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 705 California cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ladera Ranch.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ladera Ranch
By decade
- 2000s5
- 1990s12
- 1980s6
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1966 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 21, 1997 | F1 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 11, 1997 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 7, 1992 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 7, 1992 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1986 | F1 | 24 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1982 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 31, 1979 | F1 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1977 | F1 | 24 mi | 10.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 7, 1966 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 30, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ladera Ranch
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Ladera Ranch since 2000. All 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 September 10, 2011. The most recent report is from September 10, 2011.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ladera Ranch
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Laguna Beach, CA, 9 miles west of Ladera Ranch at 44 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 61°F; December is the coolest, at 67°F and 44°F. February is the wettest at 3.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 12.7 inches over 23 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from September to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 1 nights a year. That 12.7 inches is more than at 76 of the 226 California stations used on this site (34%). Mission Viejo, 3 miles north, has its own station (Irvine Rch, CA): 13.0 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and an August average high of 90°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | 44 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Feb | 68 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 48 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 0.8 | 2 |
| May | 75 | 55 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 76 | 58 | 0.1 | 1 |
| Jul | 80 | 60 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 77 | 55 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Nov | 72 | 49 | 1.1 | 1 |
| Dec | 67 | 44 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Year | 74 | 52 | 12.7 | 23 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Laguna Beach, CA (44 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 Ladera Ranch
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 40 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ladera Ranch: 14 heavy rain events, 10 flash floods, 8 floods, 7 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $13.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 19, 2005. February has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 285 have had fewer than Ladera Ranch.
December 22, 2010: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Ladera Ranch — $12.3 million damage.
May 22, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Ladera Ranch — $500,000 damage.
May 22, 2008: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Ladera Ranch — $150,000 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
Orange County, which includes Ladera Ranch, 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 Ladera Ranch
- Mission Viejo, CA3 mi
- Laguna Niguel, CA5 mi
- Laguna Hills, CA5 mi
- San Juan Capistrano, CA5 mi
- Rancho Santa Margarita, CA5 mi
- Aliso Viejo, CA5 mi
- Trabuco Canyon, CA6 mi
- Laguna Woods, CA6 mi
- Lake Forest, CA6 mi
- Dana Point, CA8 mi
- Capistrano Beach, CA8 mi
- Foothill Ranch, CA8 mi
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