NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Twentynine Palms, 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 Twentynine Palms, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 6
- 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 Twentynine Palms
The strongest of the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on September 7, 1982; its path came within 18 miles. Of the 6, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2015. Of the 705 California cities on this site, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Twentynine Palms. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 9 times since 1985, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Twentynine Palms has more hail reports within 10 miles than 85% of the 705 California cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Twentynine Palms
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1980s3
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 1982 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 22, 1974 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2015 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2001 | F0 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1987 | F0 | 4 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 1983 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Twentynine Palms
The Storm Prediction Center has 9 hail reports within 10 miles of Twentynine Palms since 1985. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 11, 1998. The most recent report is from September 18, 2025.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Twentynine Palms
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Twentynine Palms, CA, 4 miles south of Twentynine Palms at 1,975 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 104°F and low of 77°F; December is the coolest, at 62°F and 40°F. August is the wettest at 0.7 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 4.1 inches over 9 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 154 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 17 nights a year. That 4.1 inches is more than at 7 of the 226 California stations used on this site (3%). Joshua Tree, 14 miles west, has its own station (Joshua Tree, CA): 4.6 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 102°F against 104°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 42 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Feb | 67 | 44 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Mar | 74 | 49 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Apr | 81 | 55 | 0.1 | 0 |
| May | 90 | 63 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 99 | 71 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 104 | 77 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Aug | 103 | 76 | 0.7 | 1 |
| Sep | 97 | 69 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Oct | 85 | 58 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 72 | 47 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Dec | 62 | 40 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Year | 83 | 58 | 4.1 | 9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Twentynine Palms, CA (1,975 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 Twentynine Palms
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Twentynine Palms: 60 flash floods, 24 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 lightning strikes and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on September 1, 1997. August has had the most flash floods, 23 of 60. Of the 550 California cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 546 have had fewer than Twentynine Palms.
July 14, 2024: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Twentynine Palms — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Highway 62 was closed between El Rey Ave and Encelia Ave, with at least two feet of water and debris over the road. Numerous cars were stuck, and swift water rescues were needed.”
July 5, 2014: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Twentynine Palms — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew down at least 14 power poles in Twentynine Palms, knocking out power to 2,000 customers.”
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 Twentynine Palms's ZIP code 92277 have filed 96 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $1.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2025, with 19. 3% 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, 312 have fewer than Twentynine Palms.
San Bernardino County, which includes Twentynine Palms, 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 Twentynine Palms
- Joshua Tree, CA14 mi
- Yucca Valley, CA21 mi
- Landers, CA24 mi
- Desert Hot Springs, CA30 mi
- Morongo Valley, CA30 mi
- Thousand Palms, CA32 mi
- Indio, CA34 mi
- Cathedral City, CA35 mi
- Palm Desert, CA36 mi
- Coachella, CA36 mi
- Rancho Mirage, CA36 mi
- Palm Springs, CA37 mi
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