Los Angeles County, California severe weather history spans 515 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 42.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #822 nationally and #6 in California.
515
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
151
Direct injuries
$100.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Los Angeles County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Los Angeles County, California severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 174 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 49 events fall before 1990 and 466 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Los Angeles County, California record is flash flood, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $61.2M in reported property damage. In total, 16 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Los Angeles County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 220 | 7 | $1.3M | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 105 | 0 | $63K | 93 | 1957–2026 |
| Tornado | 50 | 0 | $61.2M | F2 | 1952–2025 |
| Hail | 30 | 0 | $3.5M | 1.75 | 1959–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 24 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2026 |
| Flood | 24 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Wildfire | 16 | 0 | $29.5M | 0 | 1996–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Lightning | 10 | 3 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Waterspout | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| High Wind | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Rip Current | 3 | 3 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2001 |
| Dust Devil | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Frost/Freeze | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Los Angeles County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
48 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 30 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-11-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-11-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-22 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-01-09 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-03-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-10-01 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Los Angeles County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | Lightning | MARINA DEL RAY | 1 | 8 | $0 |
| Feb 8, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Dec 8, 2001 | Rip Current | MALIBU | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2022 | Lightning | SOUTH WHITTIER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 9, 2005 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 20, 2004 | Flash Flood | NEWHALL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 25, 2000 | Rip Current | REDONDO BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Williams Fire burned 38.094 acres of land in the Angeles National Forest. This fire, which was located about 25 miles north of Azusa, destroyed 77 structures, including 62 cabins. No reports on the number of possible injuries have been received.
Strong thunderstorms dumped heavy rain over the Barham burn area. The heavy generated a significant mud and debris flow below the burn area. Nearly two feet of mud covered a hundred yard stretch of Forest Lawn Drive. A dozen parked cars were buried by the mud and debris. No injuries were reported.
Heavy rain showers, in excess of one half inch per hour, fell across the Barham Fire burn area. The heavy showers produced flash flooding and mud flows along Forest Lawn Drive where over 1 foot of water and mud was reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,808,667
Population (ACS)
$834K
Median home value
88
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2025 | Fire | CANYON FIRE | FM |
| Jan 8, 2025 | Fire | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jan 8, 2025 | Fire | EATON FIRE | FM |
| Jan 8, 2025 | Fire | HURST FIRE | FM |
| Jan 7, 2025 | Fire | PALISADES FIRE | FM |
| Dec 10, 2024 | Fire | FRANKLIN FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Los Angeles County, California?
515 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 13 direct deaths and $100.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Los Angeles County?
Flash Flood, with 220 recorded events — 42.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Los Angeles County?
48 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 48 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Los Angeles County?
88 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Los Angeles County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Los Angeles County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Los Angeles County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Los Angeles 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
- Lassen County 112
- Madera County 207
- Lake County 53
- Marin County 167
- Kings County 157
- Mariposa County 251
Cite this page
“Los Angeles County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/los-angeles-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.