KinwarnCalifornia tornado warnings
The National Weather Service issued 86 tornado warnings, 1,077 severe thunderstorm warnings and 1,840 flash flood warnings for California from 2016 to 2025, about 8.6, 108 and 184 a year. That ranks 34th of 52 states and territories for tornado warnings. Merced County had the most of any county: 11 tornado warnings.
California warnings and radar right now
Checking the National Weather Service for California…
California counties ranked by tornado warnings
Warnings that listed each county, 2016 to 2025, and tornadoes recorded in the county since 1950. A warning can list several counties, so the county numbers add up to more than the state total.
| County | Tornado warnings | Severe thunderstorm | Flash flood | Tornadoes since 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County | 11 | 23 | 6 | 17 |
| Mariposa County | 9 | 31 | 58 | 3 |
| Tehama County | 8 | 29 | 8 | 13 |
| Madera County | 7 | 34 | 40 | 12 |
| Calaveras County | 7 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| Stanislaus County | 7 | 9 | 1 | 13 |
| San Diego County | 6 | 89 | 116 | 27 |
| Tulare County | 6 | 40 | 51 | 14 |
| Tuolumne County | 6 | 36 | 46 | 1 |
| Butte County | 6 | 27 | 13 | 18 |
| Santa Barbara County | 6 | 23 | 65 | 7 |
| Fresno County | 5 | 42 | 51 | 32 |
| Kern County | 4 | 55 | 109 | 16 |
| Yuba County | 4 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| San Joaquin County | 4 | 4 | 1 | 19 |
| Shasta County | 3 | 19 | 5 | 0 |
| Santa Cruz County | 3 | 14 | 28 | 8 |
| Ventura County | 3 | 14 | 82 | 8 |
| San Luis Obispo County | 3 | 11 | 34 | 4 |
| Amador County | 3 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Los Angeles County | 2 | 36 | 111 | 49 |
| San Mateo County | 2 | 18 | 14 | 4 |
| Glenn County | 2 | 17 | 1 | 11 |
| Nevada County | 2 | 16 | 11 | 1 |
| Colusa County | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| San Benito County | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| San Bernardino County | 1 | 183 | 527 | 33 |
| Plumas County | 1 | 47 | 24 | 0 |
| Lassen County | 1 | 46 | 18 | 4 |
| Placer County | 1 | 28 | 6 | 6 |
| El Dorado County | 1 | 27 | 7 | 5 |
| Kings County | 1 | 21 | 7 | 8 |
| Orange County | 1 | 17 | 30 | 32 |
| Monterey County | 1 | 14 | 34 | 5 |
| City and County of San Francisco | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| Sutter County | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Solano County | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Yolo County | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Riverside County | 0 | 154 | 271 | 27 |
| Siskiyou County | 0 | 102 | 18 | 1 |
| Imperial County | 0 | 97 | 126 | 7 |
| Trinity County | 0 | 33 | 13 | 0 |
| Inyo County | 0 | 21 | 158 | 2 |
| Modoc County | 0 | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| Sierra County | 0 | 21 | 10 | 0 |
| Alpine County | 0 | 17 | 24 | 0 |
| Santa Clara County | 0 | 16 | 20 | 6 |
| Marin County | 0 | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Humboldt County | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Alameda County | 0 | 6 | 13 | 3 |
| Mono County | 0 | 6 | 33 | 0 |
| Sacramento County | 0 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
| Mendocino County | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Napa County | 0 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| Sonoma County | 0 | 4 | 29 | 13 |
| Contra Costa County | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Lake County | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Del Norte County | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
California warnings by year
Each warning counts once for the state, however many counties it covered. 2008 is the first full year the National Weather Service drew an outline around every warning.
Tornadoes since 1950
487 tornadoes have been recorded in California since 1950. March had the most (86).
| Year | Tornado | Severe thunderstorm | Flash flood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 to Oct 19 | 9 | 119 | 64 |
| 2025 | 10 | 217 | 236 |
| 2024 | 13 | 111 | 129 |
| 2023 | 16 | 91 | 240 |
| 2022 | 2 | 128 | 307 |
| 2021 | 3 | 51 | 154 |
| 2020 | 4 | 67 | 68 |
| 2019 | 22 | 91 | 175 |
| 2018 | 3 | 71 | 149 |
| 2017 | 7 | 160 | 258 |
| 2016 | 6 | 90 | 124 |
| 2015 | 6 | 141 | 226 |
| 2014 | 14 | 104 | 215 |
| 2013 | 2 | 133 | 244 |
| 2012 | 9 | 108 | 183 |
| 2011 | 11 | 118 | 122 |
| 2010 | 10 | 101 | 126 |
| 2009 | 0 | 148 | 52 |
| 2008 | 11 | 92 | 171 |
What stands out in California
2019 was the busiest year for tornado warnings in California since 2008, with 22 tornado warnings. The busiest year for flash flood warnings was 2022, with 307.
Since 2008, 7 flash flood warnings for California were raised to a flash flood emergency for at least part of the warned area: the Weather Service’s rarest warning, used when a severe threat to life is happening or about to happen.
4 severe thunderstorm warnings for California carried the “destructive” tag (winds of 80 mph or more, or hail 2.75 inches or larger) since the tag started in August 2021. Only those severe thunderstorm warnings set off Wireless Emergency Alerts on phones.
2 tornadoes in California since 1950 were rated F3 or EF3, the strongest recorded there. The most recent was on February 9, 1978.
National Weather Service warnings from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive through October 19, 2026; tornado ratings from the Storm Prediction Center and NOAA Storm Events.
States next to California
Tornado warnings for each neighboring state, 2016 to 2025.
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California tornado warnings: questions people ask
How many tornado warnings does California get a year?
About 8.6 a year: the National Weather Service issued 86 tornado warnings for California from 2016 to 2025, 34th of 52 states and territories.
Which California county gets the most tornado warnings?
Merced County has the most: 11 tornado warnings listed it from 2016 to 2025, ahead of Mariposa County with 9. A warning can list several counties, so county counts add up to more than the state total.
Which California city gets the most tornado warnings?
El Cajon has the most among cities and towns with 10,000 people or more: the outlines of 2 tornado warnings covered its center from 2016 to 2025.
When is tornado season in California?
March and February: 32% of the 487 tornadoes recorded in California since 1950 came in those two months. Tornadoes have struck California in every month of the year.
About these numbers
Counts are National Weather Service warnings that listed a California county, through October 19, 2026. How Kinwarn counts · California data (CSV)
Cite: Kinwarn. “California tornado warnings.” kinwarn.com/california. National Weather Service data through October 19, 2026.
Sources: IEM warning archive · NWS 2007 outlines · SPC tornado database · Census places · Census population estimates · NWS tornado alerts