Imperial County, California severe weather history spans 257 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,065 nationally and #12 in California.
257
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$50.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Imperial County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Imperial County, California severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 136 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 243 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Imperial County, California record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $34.1M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Imperial County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 113 | 0 | $9.3M | 87 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 102 | 2 | $34.1M | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $4.6M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Hail | 10 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1990–2015 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $2.5M | F1 | 1965–2000 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2008 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Imperial County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-08-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-08-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-09-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-07-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Imperial County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2021 | Flash Flood | PALO VERDE | 2 | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 31, 2012 | Flood | DIXIELAND | 0 | 5 | $400K |
| Aug 25, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | SALTON CITY | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Aug 11, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | CALEXICO | 0 | 1 | $1K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Very heavy rainfall occurred along SR 78 in northeast Imperial County with amounts estimated to be approaching 7 inches in some places. This resulted in considerable flooding along the highway. The California Highway Patrol reported that a vehicle was swept off SR 78 at Milpitas Wash before overturning in the wash. Both occupants perished in the flash flood.
Very strong, straight line winds caused significant damage to many homes and businesses including a fire station. The storm motion was toward the northeast. Power lines and poles were downed and many trees were uprooted.|Storm survey data indicated the most significant damage was about 651 pm PDT.
The New River USGS Gauge at the International Border in Calexico reported water levels peaking to 15.6 feet, which is just above minor flood stage. The rise to minor flood stage was generally gradual as water levels rose at a rate of 1 feet per hour according to the gauge data. The rising water levels caused damage to an improvement project being performed at the New River in Calexico with water overtopping the sheet piles. About 10 feet of standing water was estimated inside the sheet piles. This water overtopping caused a generator controlling the dewatering to flood and shutdown. The city of Calexico declared an emergency due to the damages that the high water levels caused to the project. According to an interview performed with a city councilmember approximately two weeks after the incident, the damage cost estimate was at around 4 million dollars. No injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
180,202
Population (ACS)
$310K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 2023 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM HILARY | DR |
| 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 |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 7, 2010 | Earthquake | EARTHQUAKE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Imperial County, California?
257 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $50.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Imperial County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 113 recorded events — 44.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Imperial County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Imperial County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Imperial County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Imperial County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Imperial County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Imperial 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
- Humboldt County 239
- Inyo County 302
- Glenn County 50
- Kern County 832
- Fresno County 783
- Kings County 157
Cite this page
“Imperial County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/imperial-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.