NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tuolumne, 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 Tuolumne, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 2 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 2
- 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 Tuolumne
The strongest of the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF1 on March 11, 2023; its path came within 17 miles. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tuolumne. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 2005, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Of the 705 California cities, 44% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tuolumne.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Tuolumne
By decade
- 2020s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 15, 1972 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 2 of 2, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tuolumne
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Tuolumne since 2005. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on March 21, 2017. The most recent report is from March 11, 2023.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tuolumne
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Groveland 2, CA, 8 miles south of Tuolumne at 2,800 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 56°F; December is the coolest, at 52°F and 31°F. January is the wettest at 7.2 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.6 inches over 47 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 59 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 91 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.8 inches a year, most of it in March. That 38.6 inches is more than at 197 of the 226 California stations used on this site (87%). Sonora, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Sonora, CA): 32.6 inches a year, 6.0 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 31 | 7.2 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 55 | 32 | 6.9 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 | 6.3 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 65 | 38 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.8 |
| May | 73 | 44 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 51 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 56 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 55 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 50 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 42 | 2.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 35 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 6.6 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 70 | 42 | 38.6 | 47 | 3.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Groveland 2, CA (2,800 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 Tuolumne
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 18 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tuolumne: 6 floods, 6 heavy rain events, 3 flash floods and 3 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $9.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on March 21, 2017.
March 21, 2018: flood 8 miles from the centre of Tuolumne — $8.0 million damage.
NWS: “Extensive flooding in downtown Groveland, as floodwaters ran down the main street, Highway 120. Property was damage and water rescues for stranded residents.”
March 21, 2017: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Tuolumne — $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
Tuolumne County, which includes Tuolumne, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 5 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 Tuolumne County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland 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 $50.6 million a year, the 44th highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.6 million (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 Tuolumne
- Sonora, CA7 mi
- Twain Harte, CA7 mi
- Groveland, CA13 mi
- Coulterville, CA15 mi
- Jamestown, CA16 mi
- Murphys, CA18 mi
- La Grange, CA21 mi
- Angels Camp, CA21 mi
- Copperopolis, CA23 mi
- San Andreas, CA28 mi
- Mokelumne Hill, CA32 mi
- Yosemite National Park, CA35 mi
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