NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Santa Margarita, 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 Margarita, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 1 tornado has touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- 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 Santa Margarita
The only tornado within 25 miles was an EF0 on February 23, 2015; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Santa Margarita. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2009, with stones of 0.75 inches (penny size). Of the 705 California cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Santa Margarita.
Compare Santa Margarita's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Santa Margarita
By decade
- 2010s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2015 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.5 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 Santa Margarita
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Santa Margarita, from May 28, 2009: 0.75 inches (penny size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Santa Margarita's ZIP code 93453 have filed 78 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993, and were paid $1.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1995: 22 claims (28% of all) and $157,000, then Pineapple Express - Southern in 1998 with 17 and California Atmospheric River in 2023 with 10. 63% 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, 290 have fewer than Santa Margarita.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1995 | 22 | $157,000 |
| Pineapple Express - Southern1998 | 17 | $217,000 |
| California Atmospheric River2023 | 10 | $441,000 |
San Luis Obispo County, which includes Santa Margarita, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 floods, 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 13, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives San Luis Obispo County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Low for coastal flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $213.9 million a year, the 24th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $109.9 million (51%), 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 Margarita
- Lost Hills, CA27 mi
- Arroyo Grande, CA30 mi
- Nipomo, CA31 mi
- San Luis Obispo, CA32 mi
- Grover Beach, CA33 mi
- Oceano, CA34 mi
- Santa Maria, CA34 mi
- Pismo Beach, CA34 mi
- Atascadero, CA35 mi
- Guadalupe, CA38 mi
- Taft, CA38 mi
- Templeton, CA39 mi
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