NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Laguna Niguel, 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 Laguna Niguel, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 29
- 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 Laguna Niguel
The strongest of the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on November 7, 1966; its path came within 15 miles. Of the 29, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. January has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on January 19, 2010. Laguna Niguel has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 705 California cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 1998, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 705 California cities, 44% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Laguna Niguel.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Laguna Niguel
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s3
- 1990s12
- 1980s6
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1966 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 19, 2010 | EF1 | 24 mi | 4.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 21, 1997 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 11, 1997 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 7, 1992 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 7, 1992 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 18 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1986 | F1 | 24 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1982 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 31, 1979 | F1 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1977 | F1 | 25 mi | 10.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 7, 1966 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Laguna Niguel
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Laguna Niguel since 1998. 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 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 Laguna Niguel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Laguna Beach, CA, 5 miles west of Laguna Niguel 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, 6 miles northeast, 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 Laguna Niguel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 40 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Laguna Niguel: 14 heavy rain events, 9 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 8 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $12.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 19, 2005. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 247 have had fewer than Laguna Niguel.
December 22, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Laguna Niguel — $12.3 million 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 Laguna Niguel's ZIP code 92677 have filed 49 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $326,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Pineapple Express - Southern in 1998: 12 claims (24% of all) and $43,000. 41% 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, 234 have fewer than Laguna Niguel.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Pineapple Express - Southern1998 | 12 | $43,000 |
Orange County, which includes Laguna Niguel, 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 Laguna Niguel
- San Juan Capistrano, CA3 mi
- Aliso Viejo, CA4 mi
- Dana Point, CA4 mi
- Laguna Beach, CA4 mi
- Ladera Ranch, CA5 mi
- Laguna Hills, CA5 mi
- Capistrano Beach, CA5 mi
- Laguna Woods, CA5 mi
- Mission Viejo, CA6 mi
- Lake Forest, CA8 mi
- San Clemente, CA8 mi
- Newport Coast, CA9 mi
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