NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Laguna Woods, 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 Woods, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 32 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 32
- 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 Woods
The strongest of the 32 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on November 7, 1966; its path came within 12 miles. Of the 32, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. January and February have had the most tornadoes, 8 each. The most recent tornado was on January 19, 2010. Laguna Woods has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% 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 Laguna Woods.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Laguna Woods
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s4
- 1990s14
- 1980s6
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1966 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 19, 2010 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 21, 1997 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 11, 1997 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 14, 1993 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 7, 1992 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 7, 1992 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 15 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1986 | F1 | 19 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1982 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 31, 1979 | F1 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1977 | F1 | 20 mi | 10.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 32, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Laguna Woods
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Laguna Woods 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 Laguna Woods
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Laguna Beach, CA, 6 miles southwest of Laguna Woods 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%). Lake Forest, 3 miles northeast, has its own station (Tustin Irvine Rch, CA): 14.2 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and an August average high of 87°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 Woods
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 54 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Laguna Woods: 17 flash floods, 15 heavy rain events, 11 floods, 10 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $13.5 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, 418 have had fewer than Laguna Woods.
December 22, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Laguna Woods — $12.3 million damage.
May 22, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Laguna Woods — $500,000 damage.
May 22, 2008: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Laguna Woods — $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 Laguna Woods, 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 Woods
- Laguna Hills, CAunder 1 mi
- Aliso Viejo, CA2 mi
- Lake Forest, CA3 mi
- Mission Viejo, CA4 mi
- Laguna Niguel, CA5 mi
- Ladera Ranch, CA6 mi
- Laguna Beach, CA6 mi
- Irvine, CA6 mi
- Foothill Ranch, CA6 mi
- Newport Coast, CA6 mi
- Rancho Santa Margarita, CA7 mi
- Trabuco Canyon, CA8 mi
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