NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Niland, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Niland, California since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Nora in 1997. Since 1950, 1 tornado has touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 1
- 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 Niland
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Niland; the strongest was Nora in 1997, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. Niland has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 98% of the 705 California cities on this site. The only tornado within 25 miles was an F0 on September 18, 1985; its path came within 22 miles. Of the 705 California cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Niland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2005, with stones of 0.75 inches (penny size). Of the 705 California cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Niland.
Compare Niland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Niland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | NoraSep 25 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Niland: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Niland
By decade
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 1985 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 1 of 1, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Niland
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Niland, from February 19, 2005: 0.75 inches (penny size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Niland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chiriaco Summit, CA, 24 miles north of Niland at 1,706 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 102°F and low of 75°F; December is the coolest, at 64°F and 40°F. February is the wettest at 0.9 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 4.8 inches. Highs reach 90°F on about 152 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 9 nights a year. That 4.8 inches is more than at 13 of the 226 California stations used on this site (6%). Calipatria, 15 miles southeast, has its own station (Brawley 2 SW, CA): 2.4 inches a year, 2.4 less than here, and an August average high of 108°F against 102°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 40 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 67 | 42 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 75 | 46 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 83 | 51 | 0.2 |
| May | 89 | 58 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 99 | 66 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 103 | 74 | 0.3 |
| Aug | 102 | 75 | 0.4 |
| Sep | 96 | 68 | 0.5 |
| Oct | 86 | 56 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 74 | 46 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 64 | 40 | 0.6 |
| Year | 84 | 55 | 4.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chiriaco Summit, CA (1,706 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 Niland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 7 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Niland: 4 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $30.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on September 8, 2017.
September 1, 2023: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Niland — $30.1 million damage.
NWS: “Widespread 1 to 2 inches of radar estimated rain fell in Niland and areas just east into the Chocolate Mountains.”
July 13, 2012: flood 9 miles from the centre of Niland — $100,000 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 Niland's ZIP code 92257 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $106,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 29% 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, 36 have fewer than Niland.
Imperial County, which includes Niland, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 earthquakes). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Hilary, on November 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Imperial County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $147.6 million a year, the 30th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $42.5 million (29%), 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 Niland
- Calipatria, CA15 mi
- Brawley, CA24 mi
- Mecca, CA26 mi
- Thermal, CA28 mi
- Imperial, CA33 mi
- El Centro, CA38 mi
- Borrego Springs, CA39 mi
- Holtville, CA40 mi
- Coachella, CA40 mi
- Heber, CA42 mi
- Indio, CA45 mi
- Calexico, CA45 mi
All California cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Niland with another place →