San Luis Obispo County, California severe weather history spans 83 recorded events between 1993 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 34.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,945 nationally and #41 in California.
83
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$5.3M
Property damage
The record
What the San Luis Obispo County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, San Luis Obispo County, California severe weather history averages 2.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 40 events logged in that decade alone.
The deadliest hazard in the San Luis Obispo County, California record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is heavy rain, with $5.0M in reported property damage. In total, 11 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 Luis Obispo County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 29 | 2 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 16 | 0 | $54K | 65 | 1993–2026 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 1 | $5.0M | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Hail | 5 | 0 | $0 | 1 | 2001–2017 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $0 | F0 | 1998–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Frost/Freeze | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $290K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
San Luis Obispo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-02-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-02-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-02-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in San Luis Obispo County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2023 | Flash Flood | WELLSONA | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 9, 2023 | Flash Flood | AVILA BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 30, 2004 | Heavy Rain | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Later the same day a thunderstorm caused damage to many of the same areas as winds to nearly 50 mph. Pea-sized hail was reported at Pismo Beach. Power outages due to lightning strikes were reported in Nipomo and San Luis Obispo. An observer in Solvang, Santa Barbara County, reported 135 separate lightning strikes during the storm. Portions of U.S. Highway 101 were closed due to flooding, mudslides, and hail on the road. A truck hydroplaned south of Buellton with no injuries reported. Elsewhere in Santa Barbara County secondary roads were also closed due to widespread minor flooding from the heavy rains.
A waterspout, which developed offshore of Oceano Dunes, came onshore as a weak tornado. The weak tornado hit a park ranger in his truck. Fortunately, the park ranger was not injured and his truck sustained no reportable damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
281,555
Population (ACS)
$825K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| 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 |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in San Luis Obispo County, California?
83 events are on record between 1993 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $5.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in San Luis Obispo County?
Flash Flood, with 29 recorded events — 34.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include San Luis Obispo County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is San Luis Obispo County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates San Luis Obispo County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the San Luis Obispo 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 Joaquin County 116
- San Mateo County 163
- San Francisco County 135
- Santa Barbara County 162
- San Diego County 1,117
- Santa Clara County 264
Cite this page
“San Luis Obispo County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/san-luis-obispo-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.