NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lake Forest, 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 Lake Forest, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 34 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 34
- 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 Lake Forest
The strongest of the 34 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on November 7, 1966; its path came within 13 miles. Of the 34, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. February has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on February 23, 2023. Lake Forest has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 705 California cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2000, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 705 California cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lake Forest.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Lake Forest
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s5
- 1990s14
- 1980s6
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1966 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 19, 2010 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 21, 1997 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 11, 1997 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 14, 1993 | F1 | 22 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 | 18 mi | 10.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 34, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lake Forest
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Lake Forest since 2000. All were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on March 6, 2000. The most recent report is from April 18, 2000.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lake Forest
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tustin Irvine Rch, CA, 6 miles northwest of Lake Forest 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%). Laguna Woods, 3 miles southwest, has its own station (Laguna Beach, CA): 12.7 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and an August average high of 81°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 Lake Forest
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 58 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lake Forest: 18 flash floods, 17 heavy rain events, 12 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $14.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 89 mph, on February 13, 2001. February has had the most flash floods, 5 of 18. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 432 have had fewer than Lake Forest.
December 22, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Lake Forest — $12.3 million damage.
December 14, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Lake Forest — $800,000 damage.
May 22, 2008: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Lake Forest — $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 Lake Forest's ZIP code 92630 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $56,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 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, 68 have fewer than Lake Forest.
Orange County, which includes Lake Forest, 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 Lake Forest
- Laguna Woods, CA3 mi
- Mission Viejo, CA3 mi
- Laguna Hills, CA3 mi
- Foothill Ranch, CA3 mi
- Aliso Viejo, CA4 mi
- Rancho Santa Margarita, CA5 mi
- Ladera Ranch, CA6 mi
- Irvine, CA6 mi
- Trabuco Canyon, CA6 mi
- Laguna Niguel, CA8 mi
- Newport Coast, CA8 mi
- Laguna Beach, CA9 mi
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