Alameda County, California severe weather history spans 241 recorded events between 1964 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 63.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,170 nationally and #17 in California.
241
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$25.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Alameda County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Alameda County, California severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 114 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 236 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Alameda County, California record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $17.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Alameda County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 152 | 1 | $17.6M | 0 | 2002–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $701K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 20 | 0 | $5.0M | 0.75 | 1999–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 15 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2012–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 1 | $2.1M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7 | 0 | $10K | 62 | 1964–2024 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $75K | F0 | 1982–1994 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
Decade by decade
Alameda County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-01-14 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-12-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Alameda County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2023 | Flood | ELMHURST | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 11, 1998 | Heavy Rain | HAYWARD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2023 | Heavy Rain | ELMHURST | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The roof of a warehouse on 650 85th Ave in Oakland collapsed at 3:20 AM. A 57-year old man was struck by falling debris and died; a woman suffered a broken nose. KTVU television reported that city inspectors found that water had been ponding on the roof and drains were not properly cleaned.
Damage was done to an underground utility trench along Crest Road in Piedmont from torrential rains. Rain water found its way through cracks in the sidewalk and percolated up through the street. As a result, two and a half feet of sand covering a conduit was disturbed or washed away leaving damaged sidewalks.
Heavy rain caused many vehicle collisions in the San Francisco East Bay area on Saturday. One crash in particular resulted in a vehicle carrying six passengers flipping into the canal that splits Hegenberger Expressway near Hamilton Street in Oakland. The nineteen year old male driver died in the crash (indirect fatality).
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,649,473
Population (ACS)
$1.1M
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 14, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 9, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 1, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Emeryville 143
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Alameda County, California?
241 events are on record between 1964 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $25.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Alameda County?
Flood, with 152 recorded events — 63.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Alameda County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Alameda County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Alameda County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Alameda County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Alameda County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Alameda 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
- Alpine County 44
- Amador County 29
- Butte County 179
- Calaveras County 47
- Colusa County 35
- Contra Costa County 108
Cite this page
“Alameda County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/alameda-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.