Fresno County, California severe weather history spans 783 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 39.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #310 nationally and #5 in California.
783
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$28.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Fresno County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fresno County, California severe weather history averages 11.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 270 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 763 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fresno County, California record is flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is wildfire, with $12.1M in reported property damage. In total, 12 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Fresno County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 312 | 2 | $3.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 107 | 0 | $2.1M | 1.05 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 85 | 0 | $561K | 1.75 | 1957–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 78 | 1 | $3.8M | 61 | 1958–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 47 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Debris Flow | 40 | 0 | $200 | 0 | 2016–2025 |
| Lightning | 37 | 1 | $2.8M | 30 | 1997–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 32 | 0 | $73K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $3.4M | F2 | 1957–2020 |
| Wildfire | 13 | 0 | $12.1M | 400 | 1997–2004 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Drought | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Fresno County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-03-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-09-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-01-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-02-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-02-19 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-03-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fresno County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2023 | Flood | SANGER WNDR VLY ARPT | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Lightning | MONO HOT SPGS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 31, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pine Flat Reservoir | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 19, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | SELMA | 0 | 15 | $150K |
| Apr 18, 2000 | Hail | FIVE PTS | 0 | 4 | $40K |
| Mar 13, 1998 | Hail | KERMAN | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Feb 19, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 28, 2014 | Lightning | HAMMOND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Fresno, Kings and Tulare County Emergency Managers reported flooding along the Kings River downstream from Pine Flat Dam as a result of increased releases prompted by increased runoff from snow melt. Two young children who were swimming in the river with their mother on May 21 were swept away by the fast moving waters and were found dead shortly afterward. Neither child was wearing a life vest.
The Highway Fire is suspected to have been caused by arson. It burned 4152 acres and forced the evacuation of a large number of residents. There were no fatalities but 8 structures were lost (3 primary and 5 out-buildings). Total cost to contain was over $6M.
The Marks-Nielson Fire began in the early morning hours of the 11th of January and continued to burn until February 14th. The fire was spread through 3 acres of woodchips and other debris piled over 20-feet high in spots. It began by spontaneous combustion and caused a health problem due to its soot for much of the Fresno metropolitan area. With a number of agencies involved along with the Federal EPA intervention, the cost of putting the fire out is estimated to be over $2.5M.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,016,725
Population (ACS)
$389K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 10, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| Jan 14, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 9, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| Oct 16, 2020 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Sep 6, 2020 | Fire | CREEK FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fresno County, California?
783 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $28.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fresno County?
Flood, with 312 recorded events — 39.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fresno County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fresno County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fresno County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fresno County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fresno County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fresno County, California severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- El Dorado County 238
- Glenn County 50
- Del Norte County 47
- Humboldt County 239
- Contra Costa County 108
- Imperial County 257
Cite this page
“Fresno County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/fresno-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.