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Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties; Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Lake Tahoe Area; Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area; Western Nevada Basin and Range including Pyramid Lake
Nevada County, California severe weather history spans 126 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is heavy rain, accounting for 50.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,792 nationally and #34 in California.
126
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$6.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Nevada County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Nevada County, California severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 60 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 121 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Nevada County, California record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $4.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Nevada County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain | 63 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $4.7M | 0 | 2002–2026 |
| Hail | 18 | 0 | $1K | 1.75 | 1972–2023 |
| Debris Flow | 7 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 2013–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 4 | 0 | $10K | 63 | 1957–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 1 | $15K | 0 | 1999–2012 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EF1 | 2012–2012 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Nevada County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-10-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Nevada County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2012 | Lightning | TRUCKEE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 10, 2016 | Debris Flow | NORDEN | 0 | 1 | $2K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 71-yr-old man was struck and killed by lightning during an early morning thunderstorm at Donner Memorial State Park just west of Truckee, CA. He had been camping with family in the Park and was outside in an area of tall trees.
Interstate 80 was closed because of a large mudslide approximately 5 miles east of Truckee. The mudslide occurred at around 3 am on December 31st, blocking both directions on the Interstate. California Highway 89 was also closed due to a mudslide. Donner Creek caused flooding of some buildings in Truckee. This was the second largest flood of record on Donner Creek. California Highway 89 was closed across Nevada County from Truckee to the Sierra County line.
A large mudslide near the Donner Lake Interchange on Interstate 80 caused the closure of the freeway. The westbound lanes closed at 1802PST, followed by the eastbound lanes (downed power lines) at 1918PST. The road was completely closed between Kingvale and Truckee until 0520PST on the 9th when it was opened for local traffic and law enforcement. The freeway was fully opened at 1040PST on the 9th. The damage estimate was obtained from a preliminary damage assessment from CALTRANS.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
102,481
Population (ACS)
$622K
Median home value
23
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 |
| Aug 24, 2021 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Aug 22, 2020 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Aug 18, 2020 | Fire | JONES FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Nevada County, California?
126 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $6.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Nevada County?
Heavy Rain, with 63 recorded events — 50.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Nevada County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Nevada County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Nevada County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Nevada County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nevada County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Nevada 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
- Napa County 93
- Orange County 393
- Monterey County 245
- Placer County 168
- Mono County 135
- Plumas County 120
Cite this page
“Nevada County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/nevada-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.