485
Recorded events
48
Counties affected
0
Direct deaths
$134.8M
Property damage
California tornado history: 485 recorded events across 48 counties between 1951 and 2026.
Decade by decade
California tornado history by decade
The 1990s are the busiest decade on record with 133 reported tornado events across California. Earlier decades are thinner because systematic reporting for this hazard expanded over time, not because the weather was calmer.
County ranking
Counties with the most tornado events in California
| Rank | County | Events | Deaths | Damage | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Los Angeles County | 50 | 0 | $61.2M | 1952–2025 |
| #2 | San Bernardino County | 33 | 0 | $369K | 1954–2019 |
| #3 | Orange County | 31 | 0 | $14.0M | 1958–2010 |
| #4 | Fresno County | 30 | 0 | $3.4M | 1957–2020 |
| #5 | San Diego County | 27 | 0 | $1.1M | 1956–2019 |
| #6 | Riverside County | 26 | 0 | $21.5M | 1955–2022 |
| #7 | San Joaquin County | 19 | 0 | $146K | 1967–2022 |
| #8 | Butte County | 18 | 0 | $8.2M | 1970–2023 |
| #9 | Merced County | 17 | 0 | $810K | 1955–2009 |
| #10 | Kern County | 16 | 0 | $447K | 1988–2019 |
| #11 | Sacramento County | 15 | 0 | $1.5M | 1978–2023 |
| #12 | Tulare County | 14 | 0 | $1.6M | 1980–2018 |
| #13 | Tehama County | 13 | 0 | $2.8M | 1978–2026 |
| #14 | Sonoma County | 13 | 0 | $1.6M | 1958–2011 |
| #15 | Stanislaus County | 13 | 0 | $1.4M | 1953–2025 |
| #16 | Glenn County | 11 | 0 | $1.0M | 1953–2014 |
| #17 | Madera County | 11 | 0 | $198K | 1958–2024 |
| #18 | Ventura County | 8 | 0 | $5K | 1982–2025 |
| #19 | Kings County | 8 | 0 | $540K | 1964–1996 |
| #20 | Imperial County | 7 | 0 | $2.5M | 1965–2000 |
| #21 | Santa Cruz County | 7 | 0 | $303K | 1965–2024 |
| #22 | Santa Clara County | 6 | 0 | $6.7M | 1951–2007 |
| #23 | Placer County | 6 | 0 | $253K | 1972–2017 |
| #24 | Del Norte County | 6 | 0 | $31K | 1958–1996 |
| #25 | Sutter County | 6 | 0 | $90K | 2005–2019 |