Madera County, California severe weather history spans 207 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 34.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,403 nationally and #20 in California.
207
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$8.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Madera County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Madera County, California severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 201 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is wildfire, with $5.1M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Madera County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 71 | 0 | $2.9M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 37 | 0 | $201K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 24 | 0 | $111K | 1.75 | 1983–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 23 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 13 | 0 | $187K | 63 | 1957–2019 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $198K | F1 | 1958–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 8 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2017–2025 |
| Wildfire | 7 | 0 | $5.1M | 420 | 2001–2003 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1999–2014 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Madera County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-02-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-01-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-03-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-02-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-02-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Madera County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2000 | Hail | MADERA | 0 | 4 | $30K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Berenda Slough had its banks fail between 1130 and 1230 PST on the 4th resulting in widespread water over farmland in Madera County southwest of Chowchilla. Flooding of this type and in this location had not occurred in at least the last 76 years as any high water flows had safely moved past the area within the banks of the area sloughs, creeks, and rivers.
The Silver Fire was initially sparked due to lightning on the 25th but was allowed to continue as a resource burn well into October (notification to the NWS on 10/28/01). Total size of 186 acres with no structures lost nor injuries at a cost of $144,392.
This tornado occurred from the explosive development of a cell along neighboring cells' outflow boundary convergence. The tornado track on the ground was 2.675 miles and mostly F0 in intensity and as wide as 100 yards. It began relatively weak, peeling roofs off from farm structures, downing trees and fencing, but engulfing a well-built structure with minimal damage. However, a 1/4-mile stretch reached F1 intensity as it totally demolished a small farm structure toward the end of its run and was narrowed to a 40-yard path width at that point. The tornado occurred essentially in a rural area of south Madera, tracked west-to-east, but finished with a sweep toward the southeast.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
160,940
Population (ACS)
$393K
Median home value
25
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 Madera County, California?
207 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Madera County?
Flood, with 71 recorded events — 34.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Madera County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Madera County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Madera County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Madera County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Madera County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Madera 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
- Los Angeles County 515
- Marin County 167
- Lassen County 112
- Mariposa County 251
- Lake County 53
- Mendocino County 140
Cite this page
“Madera County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/madera-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.