Mariposa County, California severe weather history spans 251 recorded events between 1972 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 39.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,101 nationally and #13 in California.
251
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$18.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Mariposa County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mariposa County, California severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 104 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 250 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mariposa County, California record is debris flow, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is wildfire, with $14.5M 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 Mariposa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 98 | 0 | $232K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 56 | 1 | $4K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Debris Flow | 30 | 2 | $815K | 0 | 2017–2025 |
| Wildfire | 23 | 0 | $14.5M | 0 | 2001–2004 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 13 | 1 | $304K | 70 | 2002–2024 |
| Hail | 10 | 0 | $0 | 1.25 | 2000–2024 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 2 | $2.0M | 0 | 2008–2021 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $0 | F0 | 1972–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
| Drought | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Mariposa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-02-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-01-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mariposa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2022 | Debris Flow | FORESTA | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 22, 2018 | Flash Flood | COULTERVILLE | 2 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Dec 19, 1996 | Heavy Rain | MARIPOSA | 1 | 1 | $4K |
| Jan 21, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | YOSEMITE VLG | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Jun 25, 2000 | Lightning | YOSEMITE LODGE | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Lightning | YOSEMITE NATL PARK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Mariposa Office of Emergency Services reported several homes flooded and roadways washed out. While many roadways were washed out across Northwestern Mariposa County, the homes were generally impacted near Lake Don Pedro, Hornitos, and the City of Mariposa. The two fatalities that did occur in the area were both related to a person driving into a flooded roadway. One was along highway 132 west of Coulterville and the other was near Cathey's Valley where a 72 year old woman was found dead nearly four months later.
A thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightning moved across Yosemite Valley on the morning of the 21st during a strong winter storm. The thunderstorm briefly generated gusty winds estimated at 40 to 45 mph which caused a tree to fall on a tent. Inside the tent was a park service employee who was killed by the tree fall.
The Creek Fire was an arson fire that burned 11,500 acres. There were no fatalities but 11 injuries and 8 structures were lost (4 residences and 4 out-buildings). At one point at least 400 people were forced to evacuate due to the fire and it threatened at least 3000 structures.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,082
Population (ACS)
$388K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2024 | Fire | FRENCH FIRE | FM |
| 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 |
| Jul 23, 2022 | Fire | OAK FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mariposa County, California?
251 events are on record between 1972 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $18.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mariposa County?
Flood, with 98 recorded events — 39.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mariposa 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 Mariposa County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mariposa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mariposa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mariposa County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mariposa 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
- Marin County 167
- Mendocino County 140
- Madera County 207
- Merced County 249
- Los Angeles County 515
- Modoc County 34
Cite this page
“Mariposa County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/mariposa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.