NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Reno, NV
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 Reno, Nevada since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 14
- 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 Reno
The highest rating among the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 3 times; the most recent, on August 15, 2020, came within 22 miles. Of the 14, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 6. Reno has more tornadoes within 25 miles than any other of the 32 Nevada cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Reno has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 32 Nevada cities.
Compare Reno's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Reno
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s1
- 2000s6
- 1990s2
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2020 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 2020 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 1973 | F1 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 13, 2017 | EF0 | 23 mi | 2.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2005 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2004 | F0 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 2003 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 2003 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2002 | F0 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 10, 2000 | F0 | 4 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1999 | F0 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1998 | F0 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Reno
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Reno since 1957, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 24, 2005. The most recent report is from July 29, 2025. July has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Reno
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Reno Tahoe International Airport, NV, 3 miles southeast of Reno at 4,410 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 60°F; December is the coolest, at 47°F and 26°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.9 inches a year. That 7.3 inches is more than at 12 of the 27 Nevada stations used on this site (44%). Sun Valley, 6 miles north, has its own station (Reno WFO, NV): 8.0 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 26 | 1.3 | 3 | 5.2 |
| Feb | 52 | 29 | 1.0 | 3 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 0.8 | 2 | 2.9 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 0.4 | 2 | 0.4 |
| May | 74 | 47 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 85 | 54 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 60 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 58 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 50 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 40 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 57 | 31 | 0.6 | 2 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 47 | 26 | 1.1 | 2 | 5.2 |
| Year | 69 | 41 | 7.3 | 20 | 20.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Reno Tahoe International Airport, NV (4,410 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 Reno
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Reno: 54 heavy rain events, 33 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 11 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $14.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 77 mph, on July 20, 2013. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 15. Of the 29 Nevada cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 16 have had fewer than Reno.
September 24, 2011: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Reno — 4 injured.
NWS: “Lightning from a thunderstorm over the McQueen High School soccer field struck between two sets of bleacher seats on the afternoon of the 24th, causing 4 injuries. Two of the injured went to the hospital and were in stable condition while two others refused treatment.”
December 31, 2005: flood 10 miles from the centre of Reno — $5.6 million damage.
June 19, 2026: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Reno — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Law enforcement and the public reported significant flash flooding and debris flows impacting most of the Hidden Valley community in east Reno. Six homes suffered major damage or have been destroyed.”
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 Reno's 11 ZIP codes have filed 455 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $12.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 170 claims (37% of all) and $5.8 million. 38% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 14 Nevada cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 12 have fewer than Reno.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 170 | $5.8 million |
Washoe County, which includes Reno, has been named in 54 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 43 fires, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washoe County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $273.8 million a year, the 2nd highest of 17 Nevada counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $80.0 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.