San Bernardino County, California severe weather history spans 1,642 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 50.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #25 nationally and #1 in California.
1,642
Recorded events
37
Direct deaths
188
Direct injuries
$1.5B
Property damage
The record
What the San Bernardino County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, San Bernardino County, California severe weather history averages 22.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 581 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 1,594 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the San Bernardino County, California record is flash flood, responsible for 21 direct deaths. The costliest is wildfire, with $1.0B in reported property damage. In total, 12 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in San Bernardino County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 836 | 21 | $190.9M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 197 | 2 | $5.4M | 90 | 1957–2026 |
| Flood | 160 | 1 | $108.0M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 124 | 2 | $111.0M | 71 | 1998–2026 |
| Wildfire | 90 | 7 | $1.0B | 0 | 1997–2003 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $369K | 2 | 1966–2025 |
| Lightning | 63 | 3 | $1.4M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 50 | 1 | $6.6M | 0 | 2012–2025 |
| Tornado | 33 | 0 | $369K | F2 | 1954–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2015 |
| Dust Devil | 4 | 0 | $68K | 0 | 2003–2012 |
| Strong Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
San Bernardino County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-09-07 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-09-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-10-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-09-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in San Bernardino County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2003 | Wildfire | SAN BERNARDINO | 4 | 5 | $696.4M |
| Nov 8, 2022 | Flash Flood | ONTARIO | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2003 | Flash Flood | TWENTY NINE PALMS | 3 | 0 | $50K |
| Nov 1, 2003 | Wildfire | HESPERIA | 2 | 7 | $278.6M |
| Dec 26, 2003 | Flash Flood | DEVORE | 2 | 5 | $1.0M |
| Feb 10, 2000 | Heavy Rain | LAKE ARROWHEAD | 2 | 3 | $400K |
| Jul 11, 1999 | Flash Flood | FOREST FALLS | 1 | 5 | $6.0M |
| Feb 18, 2017 | Flash Flood | VICTORVILLE | 1 | 2 | $30K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Ontario Fire department reported 6 person in the swiftwater channel in John Galvin park where the channel begins near I-10. Rainfall rates of 0.50 to 0.75 inches per hour had occurred from 7 am to 9 am in Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. 3 persons were rescued. 3 more person were later found drowned in a retaining pond which was filled 15 to 20 feet high with storm runoff water. The bodies were not found until several days later due the water being too deep and low visibility. Multiple agencies were involved in the week long recovery efforts. The channel runs south past Ontario airport to where it reached the storage collection ponds on East Philadelphia Street. Search and rescue in Cucamonga Channel reported by CalOES and Ontario Fire Department. As many as 10 people experiencing homelessness were swept away as a surge of water occurred following 2 hours of heavy rain. Five people were immediately rescued, one person immediately reported deceased, with two additional bodies recovered (one of November 14, the other on November 16).
Severe flooding impacted much of Joshua Tree. Many roads were covered with water, mud, and rocks. Several homes were flooded, including one which was destroyed. A one year old boy was swept away in his back yard before being rescued. One man died when his vehicle was swept down a flooded wash.
Numerous roads and intersections were flooded in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree, at least four homes were flooded, at least four vehicles were stranded, and at least six swift water rescues occurred. One man was killed when his vehicle was swept away by flood waters.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,197,104
Population (ACS)
$505K
Median home value
61
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2024 | Fire | BRIDGE FIRE | FM |
| Sep 7, 2024 | Fire | LINE 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 9, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| Oct 26, 2020 | Fire | BLUE RIDGE FIRE | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Twenty Nine Palms 196
- Forest Falls 138
- Vidal Jct Arpt 101
- Barstow 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in San Bernardino County, California?
1,642 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 37 direct deaths and $1.5B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in San Bernardino County?
Flash Flood, with 836 recorded events — 50.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed San Bernardino County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover San Bernardino County?
61 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include San Bernardino County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is San Bernardino County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates San Bernardino County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the San Bernardino 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
- San Benito County 38
- San Diego County 1,117
- Sacramento County 246
- San Francisco County 135
- Riverside County 930
- San Joaquin County 116
Cite this page
“San Bernardino County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/san-bernardino-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.