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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Running Springs, 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 Running Springs, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 10 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
0

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
10

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Running Springs

The strongest of the 10 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on May 22, 2008; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 10, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. March and May have had the most tornadoes, 3 each. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Running Springs. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 1989, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 705 California cities, 44% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Running Springs.

Compare Running Springs's storm record with another city →

Tornadoes within 25 miles of Running Springs

By decade

  • 2000s3
  • 1990s4
  • 1980s1
  • 1960s1
  • 1950s1
Strongest tornadoes near Running Springs, California
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 22, 2008EF224 mi2.8 mi0 / 1
May 11, 1997F122 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
May 22, 2008EF025 mi0.96 mi0 / 0
Mar 4, 2005F020 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Jun 6, 1997F019 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
Mar 20, 1991F014 mi1 mi0 / 0
Mar 20, 1991F024 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
Jan 20, 1982F024 mi0.3 mi0 / 0
Jul 22, 1966F023 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Apr 6, 1955F016 mi1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 10 of 10, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Running Springs

The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Running Springs since 1989. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on March 5, 2000. The most recent report is from September 20, 2024.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Running Springs

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lake Arrowhead, CA, 6 miles northwest of Running Springs at 5,205 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 57°F; December is the coolest, at 43°F and 29°F. February is the wettest at 9.9 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.0 inches over 30 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 105 nights a year. Snowfall averages 22.4 inches a year, most of it in March. That 38.0 inches is more than at 196 of the 226 California stations used on this site (87%). Highland, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Redlands, CA): 12.9 inches a year, 25.1 less than here, and an August average high of 96°F against 82°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Lake Arrowhead, CA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan44298.463.0
Feb45309.975.3
Mar52325.246.7
Apr60362.832.8
May67411.210.8
Jun76490.300.0
Jul81570.110.0
Aug82570.100.0
Sep74520.310.0
Oct63432.120.0
Nov52342.420.3
Dec43295.243.5
Year624138.03022.4

Averages for 1991–2020 at Lake Arrowhead, CA (5,205 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.

California weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Running Springs

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 49 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Running Springs: 19 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events, 8 floods, 4 thunderstorm wind reports and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $7.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on December 29, 2004. January has had the most flash floods, 7 of 19. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 434 have had fewer than Running Springs.

  • January 10, 2005: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Running Springs — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.

  • February 14, 2019: flash flood in Running Springs — $5.0 million damage.

    NWS: “Highway 18 received 5 to 10 inches of rain with snow levels at 10,000 feet. Runoff caused extensive damage to the state highway and it was closed to all traffic through March 2.”

  • January 9, 2005: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Running Springs — $1.7 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 Running Springs, 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 Running Springs