NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Squaw Valley, 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 Squaw Valley, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 9
- 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 Squaw Valley
The highest rating among the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 3 times; the most recent, on January 17, 2019, came within 22 miles. Of the 9, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Squaw Valley. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 2002, 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 Squaw Valley.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Squaw Valley
By decade
- 2010s3
- 2000s1
- 1980s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 2019 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 8, 1986 | F1 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1982 | F1 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 22, 2018 | EF0 | 16 mi | 1.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 12, 2018 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 20, 2004 | F0 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1988 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 15, 1986 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 15, 1980 | F0 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Squaw Valley
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Squaw Valley since 2002. 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 May 28, 2009, the most recent report.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Squaw Valley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grant Grove, CA, 12 miles east of Squaw Valley at 6,580 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 53°F; December is the coolest, at 46°F and 25°F. January is the wettest at 8.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 41.7 inches over 48 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 137 nights a year. Snowfall averages 186.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 41.7 inches is more than at 204 of the 226 California stations used on this site (90%). Orange Cove, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Visalia, CA): 10.4 inches a year, 31.3 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 26 | 8.0 | 7 | 37.7 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 7.3 | 8 | 44.8 |
| Mar | 48 | 27 | 7.8 | 8 | 35.1 |
| Apr | 52 | 30 | 3.6 | 6 | 20.0 |
| May | 60 | 38 | 1.4 | 3 | 4.9 |
| Jun | 71 | 46 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.6 |
| Jul | 79 | 53 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 52 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 47 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 39 | 2.4 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.3 | 4 | 8.6 |
| Dec | 46 | 25 | 6.6 | 6 | 30.8 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 41.7 | 48 | 186.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Grant Grove, CA (6,580 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 Squaw Valley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Squaw Valley: 28 floods, 5 flash floods, 4 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on January 27, 2008. March has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 163 have had fewer than Squaw Valley.
June 24, 2024: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Squaw Valley — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Dry lightning sparked several wildfires during the afternoon and evening of June 24 east of Reedley and Sanger. These fires became known as the Fresno Lightning Complex which resulted in several evacuations as the fires spread rapidly due to heavy fuel loading.”
February 28, 2014: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Squaw Valley — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind damage caused by thunderstorms near Squaw Valley, reported by the public and trained spotters. Roof damage and several downed trees.”
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
Fresno County, which includes Squaw Valley, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 fires, 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 Fresno County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $557.3 million a year, the 13th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $166.1 million (30%), 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 Squaw Valley
- Orange Cove, CA9 mi
- Orosi, CA11 mi
- Cutler, CA15 mi
- Reedley, CA16 mi
- Dinuba, CA17 mi
- Sanger, CA20 mi
- Woodlake, CA20 mi
- Parlier, CA20 mi
- Tollhouse, CA22 mi
- Ivanhoe, CA23 mi
- Del Rey, CA23 mi
- Kingsburg, CA25 mi
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