The U.S. state of California experiences several tornadoes every year, with over 500 twisters recorded since 1851. Among these are four fire whirls, a type of tornado that develops from a wildfire. California's strongest rated tornadoes on the Fujita scale (or Enhanced Fujita Scale after 2007) were rated an F/EF3, which occurred three times – two F3 tornadoes in the Greater Los Angeles area in the 1970s, as well as an EF3-equivalent fire whirl near Redding in Shasta County that developed within the 2018 Carr Fire. The fire whirl was one of six deadly tornadic events on record in the state, killing four people. A tornado struck Tuolumne County in 1857 killing a man. The second tornado event was in 1878 which killed one person in Santa Barbara. The third deadly tornado event was in 1891 where a twister destroyed a home killing a man in San Francisco. The fourth deadly event was in El Centro killing at least two people. The last deadly event was a tornado that hit Santa Monica in 1952, which killed three people. There have been over 150 injuries related to tornadoes in the state.
Although less common and not as strong as tornadoes in the central United States, there are regularly tornadoes in three regions of the state – the Los Angeles area, the deserts of Southern California, and the Central Valley. Most tornadoes in California are weak and short-lived, often F0 or EF0, although some can be destructive or notable. Tornadogenesis can occur because of a supercell thunderstorm, a waterspout, a landspout, or a fire whirl, and can happen in any month of the year. The month with the most tornadic activity is March, with most of the state's tornadoes occurring between January and April. Excluding fire whirls, the most recent EF2 tornado was in 2011, which touched down near Oroville in Butte County. In July 2004, a twister touched down in Sequoia National Park at an altitude of around 12,156 ft (3,705 m), making it the highest elevation for a confirmed tornado in the United States. The most California tornadoes on a single day in the state was seven, which occurred on November 9, 1982. There were five tornadoes on April 1, 1996, as well as October 22, 2012. The states most active year was 2005 when the state experienced 27 tornadoes.
The most recent event was on April 21, 2026, when four tornadoes touched down in the Central Valley, with two EF0s, and two EF1s.
Climatology
In the United States, tornadoes develop less frequently west of the Rocky Mountains as compared to the rest of the continent. In the state of California, three areas more commonly experience tornadoes – in the Los Angeles area, in the deserts of Southern California, and the Central Valley. The Los Angeles area typically experiences more twisters than the rest of the state, and is among the most frequently affected areas in the United States west of the Rockies. California tornadoes are usually weak, categorized as an F0 or F1 on the Fujita scale, or an EF0 or EF1 after the Enhanced Fujita scale was implemented in 2007. Most twisters in the state are also short-lived, with an average path of and a width of ; this compares with Iowa tornadoes with an average path of and a width of . The vast majority of California tornadoes occur between November and April, accounting for 80.2% of the state's tornadoes according to a 1993 survey. This is during the state's cooler period, which contrasts with the rest of the United States which experiences most of its tornadoes from April to June.
Along the Pacific coast, waterspouts occasionally develop over the ocean and move onshore. In addition, some tornadoes can develop from localized convergence zones known as landspouts, which are often weak and short-lived. Landspouts are the source of the majority of California tornadoes. On rare occasion, tornadoes can originate from supercells, which are more similar in nature to twisters across the Midwestern United States. Because of their irregular and short-lived nature, the San Diego National Weather Service considers it "nearly impossible to forecast a Southern California tornado before it touches down." The agency utilizes a volunteer group of more than 1,300 volunteers to report local severe weather.
In the Los Angeles area, Santa Ana winds can produce a convergence zone when they interact with Lake Elsinore, which can produce a line of thunderstorms capable of spawning a tornado. A similar phenomenon can occur on the north and east side of mountains extending north to Victorville. The location of the mountains relative to the coastline creates the favorable conditions for tornadogenesis in the Los Angeles Area. Due to the area's high population, even weak tornadoes can cause significant impacts. They mostly occur between September and May, not during the summer. Conversely, warm, tropical air can produce tornadoes in the deserts of southern California during the summer. In the Central Valley, tornadoes can form when the winds from a trough are perpendicular to the coastal range of mountains, bringing onshore moisture from the San Francisco area to the Sierra Nevadas. Tornadoes mostly occurred in March and April in the Central Valley.
Events
Due to the large size of California, there is a likely undercount in the number of rural tornadoes. Also, due to the rare nature of tornadoes in the state, it is possible that some reported tornadoes were other weather events, such as a microburst, or straight-line winds.
Pre-1900
November 24, 1851 – A tornado struck Rich Bar, as it traveled it severely damaged at least 100 trees, some were uprooted; snapped; and hurled. One pine tree fell onto a ranch and another ranch was completely destroyed; several mules and horses were killed. September 9, 1857 – A tornado struck Sonora in Tuolumne County. The tornado lifted a 18-foot awing and a stone that secured it. A man was killed when the stone struck him. This was the first tornado fatality in California. February 20, 1858 – A tornado struck Copeland in Tehama County; a house and a barn lost their roofs. The tornado then picked up lumber and threw it and killed livestock. An anvil was lifted and thrown, as well as a horse wagon. The tornado caused $2,500 in damage. May 23, 1859 – A tornado struck Horsetown in Shasta County, an extremely small building was destroyed. The tornado caused $1,000 in damage. December 18, 1859 – A tornado struck Alameda County destroying a barn and killing a cow. An 18-foot dwelling was torn from its foundation. May 3, 1860 – A weak and small tornado struck Sacramento County, damaging a roof from a barn, as well as knocking down trees and fences. September 18, 1860 – A weak tornado struck Nevada City and lasted for several minutes. The tornado was described as "shockingly beautiful". February 11, 1863 – A tornado struck Near Knight's Ferry in Stanislaus County, a flume was destroyed and several wooden houses were shifted from their foundations. January 14, 1864 – A tornado destroyed a building under construction in Alpine County. February 28, 1865 – A tornado struck Chico lifting 30 boxes and some were thrown 300 feet; some were swept clean. December 25, 1866 – A strong tornado struck Nevada County on around 8 pm. The tornado snapped dozens of trees and destroyed a barn; a shed roof was also blown off and thrown onto another house; a large building containing hay was completely destroyed; a large oak and pine trees were uprooted; an unfinished house's roof was blown off; a 16x60-foot shed roof was lifted and thrown. More property damage occurred. February 27, 1867 – A weak tornado struck Nevada County; dozens of trees were toppled and two thousands cords of wood were yielded. May 29, 1867 – A strong tornado struck Marysville, the tornado unroofed a shed and a blacksmith shop was completely destroyed. More buildings were damaged and three people were injured as well as $800 in damage. These were the first tornado related injuries in California. July 17, 1867 – A weak tornado struck Nevada City. Taking a track, it tore limbs off trees while tearing down fences and awing's. August 30, 1867 – A tornado struck San Bernardino around 4 pm, the tornado unroofed a ranch. It also destroyed a barn and flatted a corn field. May 26, 1868 – A weak tornado struck in downtown Los Angeles County causing havoc, which resulted in dust and garbage being lifted and damaging trellises, it then dissipated when it traveled to a hill. July 6, 1868 – A tornado struck Chico at 8 pm, it damaged large oak trees as well a hotel and a barn. March 6, 1869 – A tornado struck Grass Valley lifting a 20 by 30 feat barn and smashing it to the ground, more property damage occurred. March 23, 1870 – A small tornado struck Dogtown in Marin County at 3 am. The tornado damaged a blacksmith shop and a storehouse was shifted from its foundation. Other structures were damaged, including a dwelling. April 12, 1870 – A large tornado destroyed a small house in Sacramento County. April 13, 1870 – A weak tornado struck Los Angeles County, damaging a small building and smashing a wooden awing. February 21, 1871 – A tornado struck San Francisco around midnight, damaging trees. January 24, 1872 – An outbreak of three tornadoes hit the state, the first struck Yuba County, the tornado had a width of , damaging at least 100 trees, each of which, were either uprooted or had their branches torn off. The damaged trees blocked roads and were inaccessible. This may be California's largest tornado. The second struck Nevada County, damaging dozens of trees, some were toppled. Minor roof damaged occurred to a house, and was carried by the wind. The last tornado struck Los Angeles, this was California's first tornado outbreak. April 1, 1872 – A strong tornado struck Butte County, a large building was completely destroyed, with the roof landing 200 yards away, other buildings were damaged, as well as trees being uprooted or torn from the ground. May 8, 1872 – A tornado struck Jacksons Ferry destroying an old building and fences, as it traveled, more damage occurred to a boat from a river. October 1, 1872 – A tornado struck San Francisco, destroying a barn. January 6, 1873 – A tornado struck Modoc County, a home was shifted from its foundation and flipped upside down, injuring two people. February 23, 1873 – A tornado struck Plumas County destroying a church and damaged two pine trees. October 10, 1873 – A tornado struck near Cambria in San Luis Obispo County, lifting a vehicle from the ground and leveling sand hills. December 15, 1873 – Two tornadoes hit the state, the first struck Stanislaus County. The second was a strong tornado that struck Calaveras County, it demolished dozens of houses, a large blacksmith shop was also leveled. The tornado then traveled to an unfinished hotel, tearing it from its foundation and tearing a small frame structure. More buildings were damaged, including a hay barn. The tornado then severely damaged a railroad depot; it tore off its roof. Six people were injured, two seriously, two carpenters had broken thumbs and bruises on their face. One man was carried by the wind and thrown, only sustaining bruises. March 1, 1874 – A tornado was observed in Tehama County causing roof damage to a structure, and demolishing a small outhouse. April 17, 1874 – A tornado struck Los Angeles County, damaging orange, walnut, and olive trees. April 22, 1874 – A tornado struck Fort Yuma, causing roof damage to a store and smashed objects. In then crossed into Yuma Arizona. June 5, 1874 – A tornado struck Amador County, destroying fences, trees, and scattered hay. One tree was carried for a considerable distance. June 8, 1875 – A tornado damaged a mineshaft and a pipe in Butte County. April 9, 1876 – A tornado struck Tehama County, damaging large trees, fences, structures and other buildings. December 1, 1877 – A weak tornado struck Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County, destroying an unfinished building.