Stanislaus County, California severe weather history spans 80 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 26.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,958 nationally and #42 in California.
80
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Stanislaus County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Stanislaus County, California severe weather history averages 1.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 28 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 73 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Stanislaus County, California record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.4M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Stanislaus County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 21 | 1 | $350K | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $750K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $1.4M | F2 | 1953–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 9 | 0 | $154K | 87 | 1980–2025 |
| Hail | 4 | 0 | $5K | 0.75 | 1996–2016 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $220K | 0 | 1999–2018 |
Decade by decade
Stanislaus County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-12-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-03-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-03-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-03-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Stanislaus County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2006 | Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 1 | $100K |
| Jan 14, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm produced a tornado with multiple touch downs that moved through the north section of Denair, CA touching down around 1:54 pm PST and ending around 2:15 pm PST on Sunday, November 15, 2015. There were no injuries. About 21 homes were impacted, 2 of them with major damage, but most with minor roof damage. Many fences were knocked down. Numerous trees and tree branches were brought down, including several large trees and numerous sections of trees in walnut groves. Power lines were knocked down causing local power outages. The multiple touch down path was about 3 miles long. The damage path was about 175-200 yards at the widest point.
The media reported that street flooding and rockslides occurred due to heavy rain. They also noted that Stanislaus Sheriff Department said a few vehicles were damaged as well. Damage costs are estimated. Location is not approximate as it was provided as a general statement.
A brief EF-0 tornado touched down at 2 ENE Salida at 2:13 PM PDT and was on the ground for 0.9 miles until 2:15 PM PDT. The tornado moved through several orchards and 3 properties. Dozens of almond trees were uprooted and large tree branches were broken. Minor structure damage observed at the properties included a covered patio and roof material ripped off, a broken window, and outbuilding and metal fencing was displaced, and a large trailer was lifted and moved approximately 20 feet.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
553,990
Population (ACS)
$450K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Aug 22, 2020 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Aug 21, 2020 | Fire | SCU LIGTNING COMPLEX FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Stanislaus County, California?
80 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $2.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Stanislaus County?
Flood, with 21 recorded events — 26.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Stanislaus County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Stanislaus County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Stanislaus County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Stanislaus County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Stanislaus County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Stanislaus 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
- Sonoma County 419
- Sutter County 33
- Solano County 52
- Tehama County 139
- Siskiyou County 92
- Trinity County 72
Cite this page
“Stanislaus County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/stanislaus-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.