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Humboldt County, California severe weather history spans 239 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 39.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,185 nationally and #18 in California.
239
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$40.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Humboldt County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Humboldt County, California severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 115 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 228 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Humboldt County, California record is rip current, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is heavy rain, with $40.8M in reported property damage. In total, 14 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Humboldt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 95 | 1 | $31K | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 69 | 0 | $40.8M | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Hail | 29 | 0 | $35K | 1 | 1982–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 24 | 0 | $6K | 75 | 1982–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2026 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $3K | F2 | 1958–2018 |
| Rip Current | 2 | 4 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2000 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1997 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 22000 | 1999–2003 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Coastal Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Humboldt County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-01-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Humboldt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 2000 | Rip Current | SHELTER COVE | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 28, 2019 | Flood | ARLYNDA CORNERS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 30, 1998 | Rip Current | BIG LAGOON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 9, 2022 | Hail | WESTHAVEN | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Feb 4, 2019 | Hail | NORTH SAMOA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Multiple slipouts and sinks along Highway 36 from mile post 3 to 44 due to heavy rain during the month of January and early February. All damage along this section of highway was compiled into one report and given a January 24th event date.
Law enforcement report of small hail covering Highway 101 in northern Humboldt County around 3:41 a.m. Law enforcement report stated a car accident occurred on the hail covered road. Duration of small hail and exact size unknown, though likely smaller than pea size.
A waterspout over Humboldt Bay moved inland across Woodley Island. A boat anemometer measured a wind speed of 54 mph associated with the brief tornado. In addition, a fiber glass case snapped on a dock. The path length was estimated to be 200 feet, and the width was approximately 30 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
134,541
Population (ACS)
$447K
Median home value
27
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 |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Humboldt County, California?
239 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $40.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Humboldt County?
Flood, with 95 recorded events — 39.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Humboldt County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Humboldt County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Humboldt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Humboldt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Humboldt County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Humboldt 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
- Glenn County 50
- Imperial County 257
- Fresno County 783
- Inyo County 302
- El Dorado County 238
- Kern County 832
Cite this page
“Humboldt County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/humboldt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.