NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waterford, 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 Waterford, California since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Waterford
The strongest of the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on April 27, 1953; its path came within 14 miles. Of the 16, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. March and April have had the most tornadoes, 6 each. The most recent tornado was on April 1, 2025. Waterford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 55% of the 705 California cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2005, with stones of 0.88 inches (nickel size). Of the 705 California cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Waterford.
Compare Waterford's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Waterford
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s5
- 1990s1
- 1970s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1953 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 11, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2015 | EF1 | 8 mi | 3.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2006 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 16, 2002 | F1 | 25 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 12, 1996 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 1978 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 4, 1978 | F1 | 5 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1978 | F1 | 11 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1958 | F1 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 2025 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2016 | EF0 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waterford
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Waterford, from May 9, 2005: 0.88 inches (nickel size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waterford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Turlock #2, CA, 12 miles southwest of Waterford at 103 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 66°F; December is the coolest, at 55°F and 42°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 80 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 7 nights a year. That 12.4 inches is more than at 71 of the 226 California stations used on this site (31%). Hughson, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Modesto City Co Airport, CA): 12.5 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 42 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Feb | 61 | 45 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 67 | 49 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 72 | 52 | 0.9 | 3 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Jun | 88 | 62 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 93 | 66 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 92 | 65 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 88 | 62 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 77 | 55 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Nov | 64 | 47 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Dec | 55 | 42 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Year | 74 | 54 | 12.4 | 31 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Turlock #2, CA (103 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 Waterford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 6 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waterford: 3 floods and 3 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $11,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on January 10, 2023.
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
Stanislaus County, which includes Waterford, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). 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 Stanislaus County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $264.9 million a year, the 21st highest of 58 California counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $94.2 million (36%), 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 Waterford
- Denair, CA7 mi
- Hughson, CA8 mi
- Oakdale, CA11 mi
- Keyes, CA11 mi
- Turlock, CA12 mi
- Ceres, CA12 mi
- Riverbank, CA13 mi
- Modesto, CA14 mi
- Delhi, CA15 mi
- La Grange, CA17 mi
- Escalon, CA18 mi
- Winton, CA18 mi
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