Orange County, California severe weather history spans 393 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 20.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,280 nationally and #9 in California.
393
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
67
Direct injuries
$162.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Orange County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Orange County, California severe weather history averages 5.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 135 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 371 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Orange County, California record is rip current, responsible for 13 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $64.7M in reported property damage. In total, 15 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Orange County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 80 | 0 | $40.7M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 58 | 1 | $36.3M | 1.46 | 1998–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 58 | 2 | $64.7M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 38 | 0 | $1.2M | 81 | 1978–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 37 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Tornado | 31 | 0 | $14.0M | F3 | 1958–2010 |
| Rip Current | 24 | 13 | $20K | 0 | 1997–2003 |
| Wildfire | 20 | 0 | $4.6M | 0 | 1996–2002 |
| Hail | 13 | 1 | $81K | 2 | 1979–2019 |
| Waterspout | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| Debris Flow | 10 | 0 | $101K | 0 | 2015–2023 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $62K | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| High Surf | 4 | 0 | $265K | 0 | 1997–2000 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $243K | 0 | 1998–2001 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Orange County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-01-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-11-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-12-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-01-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-12-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-12-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-11-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Orange County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 2 | $29.7M |
| Feb 10, 2000 | Heavy Rain | HUNTINGTON BEACH | 1 | 4 | $300K |
| Aug 5, 1997 | Rip Current | CORONA DEL MAR | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 24, 2003 | Rip Current | SUNSET BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2003 | Rip Current | HUNTINGTON BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2003 | Rip Current | HUNTINGTON BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 8, 2002 | Rip Current | HUNTINGTON BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2001 | Rip Current | SEAL BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Surf whipped up by Hurricane Guillermo pounded beaches in Orange County with waves from 6 to 12 feet high. Hundreds of people were rescued, but rip currents were blamed for three injuries and one death. On the fifth, a 19 year old man was swept away about a mile north of the Huntington Beach Pier. His body was recovered several days later. On the sixth, a teenage boy and girl were pummelled on a beach in Corona Del Mar. Another 18 year old was pulled ashore and sent to the hospital with neck injuries. In Newport Beach, lifeguards made nearly 300 rescues on the fifth and sixth alone.
Orange County officials estimate the total damages to public and private property at $36 million, due the 10+ of rain received by many areas. The city of Laguna Beach was certainly the hardest hit, making up approximately $12 million of the county's damages. Twelve miles of beaches in the county also had to be closed due to massive amounts of debris and pollution in storm runoff.
Heavy rain caused extensive flooding in downtown Laguna Beach with up to 4 feet of water on Broadway Street. Stranded motorists were rescued. The water also swept mud through homes, businesses and streets in the city. Approximately 184 businesses, homes and structures were damaged by the flooding. Sewer pumps were also damaged, resulting in the closure of about 12 miles of Orange County beaches, due to the pollution and waste entered into the storm runoff.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,165,820
Population (ACS)
$963K
Median home value
42
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2026 | Chemical | CHEMICAL RELEASE | EM |
| Mar 10, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| Jan 9, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| May 12, 2022 | Fire | COASTAL FIRE | FM |
| Dec 3, 2020 | Fire | BOND FIRE | FM |
| Oct 26, 2020 | Fire | SILVERADO FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Orange County, California?
393 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 17 direct deaths and $162.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Orange County?
Flood, with 80 recorded events — 20.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Orange County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Orange County?
42 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Orange County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Orange County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Orange County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Orange 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
- Nevada County 126
- Placer County 168
- Napa County 93
- Plumas County 120
- Monterey County 245
- Riverside County 930
Cite this page
“Orange County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/orange-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.