NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Phelan, 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 Phelan, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 17
- 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 Phelan
The strongest of the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on June 25, 1954; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 17, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 9, 2021. Phelan has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 705 California cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 1998, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 705 California cities, 44% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Phelan.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Phelan
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s5
- 1970s6
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 1954 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1997 | F1 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1997 | F1 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1997 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 1976 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 2021 | EF0 | 12 mi | 1.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2017 | EF0 | 14 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2013 | EF0 | 24 mi | 1.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2004 | F0 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1997 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1991 | F0 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1976 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Phelan
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Phelan since 1998. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on August 12, 1998. The most recent report is from May 6, 2019.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Phelan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wrightwood, CA, 9 miles southwest of Phelan at 6,000 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 53°F; December is the coolest, at 48°F and 25°F. February is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 21.1 inches over 27 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 158 nights a year. Snowfall averages 61.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 21.1 inches is more than at 150 of the 226 California stations used on this site (66%). Oak Hills, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Victorville, CA): 5.6 inches a year, 15.5 less than here, and a July average high of 98°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 26 | 4.4 | 3 | 10.5 |
| Feb | 48 | 25 | 4.9 | 6 | 24.8 |
| Mar | 54 | 29 | 1.9 | 3 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 60 | 32 | 0.8 | 3 | 7.2 |
| May | 69 | 39 | 0.8 | 1 | 1.6 |
| Jun | 78 | 44 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 53 | 1.1 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 51 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 46 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 37 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 55 | 29 | 1.1 | 2 | 3.6 |
| Dec | 48 | 25 | 4.1 | 4 | 5.3 |
| Year | 64 | 36 | 21.1 | 27 | 61.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wrightwood, CA (6,000 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 Phelan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Phelan: 29 flash floods, 13 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $35.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 58 mph, on July 6, 2011. August has had the most flash floods, 10 of 29. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 499 have had fewer than Phelan.
January 11, 2005: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Phelan — $16.0 million damage.
January 21, 2010: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Phelan — $16.0 million damage.
December 24, 2025: flood 9 miles from the centre of Phelan — $3.0 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
San Bernardino County, which includes Phelan, has been named in 61 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 33 fires, 13 floods, 7 severe storms, 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 San Bernardino County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding; Relatively High for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.08 billion a year, the 3rd highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $959.6 million (46%), 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 Phelan
- Pinon Hills, CA6 mi
- Wrightwood, CA8 mi
- Oak Hills, CA9 mi
- Victorville, CA11 mi
- Hesperia, CA12 mi
- Adelanto, CA13 mi
- Apple Valley, CA20 mi
- Crestline, CA20 mi
- Chino, CA22 mi
- Rancho Cucamonga, CA23 mi
- Lake Arrowhead, CA24 mi
- Helendale, CA24 mi
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