NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Santa Clarita, 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 Santa Clarita, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 8
- 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 Santa Clarita
The strongest of the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on November 9, 1982; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 8, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on September 1, 2007. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Santa Clarita. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 1993, with stones up to 0.75 inches (penny size). Of the 705 California cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Santa Clarita.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Santa Clarita
By decade
- 2000s1
- 1990s3
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 9, 1982 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 31, 1979 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2007 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1999 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1997 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 7, 1994 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1987 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 20, 1952 | F0 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Santa Clarita
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Santa Clarita since 1993. None of them reached 1 inch. The largest size, 0.75 inches (penny size), was reported on 2 days, most recently February 25, 2005. The most recent report is from February 25, 2005.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Santa Clarita
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Newhall 5NW, CA, 10 miles west of Santa Clarita at 1,765 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 64°F; December is the coolest, at 62°F and 44°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 87 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 1 nights a year. That 16.6 inches is more than at 119 of the 226 California stations used on this site (53%). Sylmar, 10 miles south, has its own station (Northridge Cal State, CA): 14.7 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and an August average high of 92°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 47 | 4.2 | 3 |
| Feb | 65 | 45 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Mar | 70 | 47 | 2.9 | 3 |
| Apr | 74 | 49 | 0.8 | 2 |
| May | 81 | 54 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Jun | 87 | 57 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 94 | 63 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 96 | 64 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 91 | 62 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 81 | 56 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Nov | 71 | 49 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Dec | 62 | 44 | 2.6 | 3 |
| Year | 78 | 53 | 16.6 | 19 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Newhall 5NW, CA (1,765 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 Santa Clarita
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 32 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Santa Clarita: 21 flash floods, 9 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $191.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 77 mph, on February 13, 2025. February has had the most flash floods, 11 of 21. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 455 have had fewer than Santa Clarita.
January 7, 2005: heavy rain event 9 miles from the centre of Santa Clarita — $190.0 million damage.
February 20, 2005: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Santa Clarita — $1.0 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Santa Clarita's 3 ZIP codes have filed 95 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $369,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Pineapple Express - Southern in 1998: 26 claims (27% of all) and $146,000, then Flooding in 1992 with 15. 45% 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, 308 have fewer than Santa Clarita.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Pineapple Express - Southern1998 | 26 | $146,000 |
| Flooding1992 | 15 | $35,000 |
Los Angeles County, which includes Santa Clarita, has been named in 88 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 35 of them major disasters (by incident: 61 fires, 10 floods, 8 severe storms, 3 earthquakes). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds, on January 8, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Los Angeles County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, coastal flooding and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.60 billion a year, the highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.81 billion (37%), 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 Santa Clarita
- Canyon Country, CA2 mi
- Valencia, CA7 mi
- Sylmar, CA10 mi
- Stevenson Ranch, CA10 mi
- San Fernando, CA11 mi
- Granada Hills, CA12 mi
- Castaic, CA13 mi
- Mission Hills, CA13 mi
- Pacoima, CA13 mi
- Porter Ranch, CA13 mi
- Acton, CA14 mi
- Sunland, CA14 mi
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