NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Murphys, 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 Murphys, 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 Murphys
The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 11, 2023, came within 16 miles. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Murphys.
Compare Murphys's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Murphys
By decade
- 2020s2
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2023 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1980 | F0 | 23 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 Murphys
The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of Murphys since 1955.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Murphys
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Melones Dam Hq, CA, 10 miles south of Murphys at 960 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 65°F; December is the coolest, at 57°F and 38°F. January is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 29.9 inches over 48 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 98 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 13 nights a year. That 29.9 inches is more than at 177 of the 226 California stations used on this site (78%). San Andreas, 11 miles west, has its own station (Camp Pardee, CA): 22.9 inches a year, 7.0 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 38 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Feb | 61 | 40 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Mar | 65 | 44 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 2.6 | 5 |
| May | 79 | 52 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Jun | 89 | 59 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Jul | 97 | 65 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 96 | 65 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 91 | 60 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Oct | 80 | 52 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Nov | 66 | 44 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 57 | 38 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Year | 76 | 50 | 29.9 | 48 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Melones Dam Hq, CA (960 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 Murphys
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 5 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Murphys: 2 floods, 2 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on May 17, 2006.
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
Calaveras County, which includes Murphys, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 7 fires, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 3, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Calaveras County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $53.4 million a year, the 43rd highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.2 million (28%), 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 Murphys
- Angels Camp, CA8 mi
- San Andreas, CA11 mi
- Sonora, CA12 mi
- Twain Harte, CA14 mi
- Mokelumne Hill, CA14 mi
- Tuolumne, CA18 mi
- Copperopolis, CA18 mi
- Jamestown, CA19 mi
- Pine Grove, CA21 mi
- Valley Springs, CA22 mi
- Jackson, CA22 mi
- Sutter Creek, CA25 mi
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