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Santa Cruz County, California
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1965 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
8
Tornado reports
21
Hail reports
97
Floods since 1996
214
All events
9
Deaths
$47.3M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Santa Cruz County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 8 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
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Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
A man drowned in the waters of Soquel Creek in Capitola during a heavy rainstorm that produced minor flooding of the creek. He drowned in a section of the creek in Perry Park at the rear of a grocery store on 809 Bay Avenue in Capitola.
A 35 year old man crashed his Volkswagon Touareg on the onramp to southbound Highway 1 at State Park Drive about 12:45 am.
A fatal accident on the southbound lanes on SR 17 at Laurel Curve due to heavy rain. A 57 year old man lost control of his Nissan Sentra which slid from the southbound lanes into northbound traffic at 10:45 am. The Nissan struck a Chevy Suburban, spun around backward and bashed i…
A fatal traffic accident as a 21 year old male died in a solo crash into a tree on Graham Hill Road early in the morning.
A fatal accident occurred just after 4:00 p.m. on northbound Highway 1 near Rio Del Mar Boulevard when a car spun out on the wet highway, went over an embankment and struck a tree. The 29-year-old male driver sustained minor injuries while the 27-year-old female passenger was fat…
A wet mountain road caused a man to veer off highway 152 near Watsonville resulting in his death.
Flash flood po San Lorenzo River from Felton to Santa Cruz.
Damage dollar amounts is a low estimate. Impacts are not fully known, but any individual car crash would likely exceed this amount.
Heavy rain overwhelmed a drainage pipe that runs underneath Pacific Cove Mobile Home Park, and then cascaded down Riverview Drive into the village causing damage to homes and businesses.
Officials in Santa Cruz County are estimating that heavy rain caused $8.3 million in damage to unincorporated areas of the County, including a slide near Scotts Valley that cut off access to more than 30 homes. Damage to the City of Santa Cruz is estimated at $1.5 million.
A debris flow initiated in a seasonal stream bed rushing hundreds of feet downhill into a driveway and home on Upper Highland Road near Eureka Canyon Road. A car and one side of a home were buried in about nine feet of rock, dirt, wood chunks and water. The home was severely dama…
Flood Flood
Flooding was reported on both lanes of Empire Grade at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School.
Flood Flood
Roadway flooding was reported at the 4000 block of Soquel San Jose Road.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The weather station at the O'Neill Sea Odyssey near Santa Cruz Harbor reported a gust of 91 mph. Damage to boats was reported within the harbor.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A tree was reported down on all lanes of California Highway 9 at Douglas Avenue.
Flood Flood
Water flowing over the road near the San Andreas Road/Playa Boulevard intersection.
Flood Flood
Around 6 inches of standing water were reported on northbound California Highway 1 at Morrissey Boulevard.
Debris Flow Debris Flow
A debris slide caused the hard closure of Lodge Road off of Big Basin Way.
Flood Flood
Roadway flooding caused a closure of Paulsen Road near Interlaken, with at least one vehicle reported stuck in water.
Flood Flood
The bridge carrying California Highway 9 over the San Lorenzo River near Brookdale was flooded.
Flood Flood
A slide partially blocked the northbound lanes of State Route 9 at Santa Cruz County mile marker 24.
Flood Flood
Mud, dirt, and rocks were blocking half of the southbound lane of State Highway 9 near Paradise Park.
Flood Flood
Rock slide partially blocking northbound Big Basin Way at Little Basin Road.
A Special Weather Statement was issued at 1:07 PM, followed by a Severe Thunderstorm Warning at 1:25 PM, for a strong thunderstorm that impacted western Santa Cruz County. Following the impact, social media videos and reports indicated that a tornado briefly touched down in the S…
Flood Flood
Roadway flooding was reported at the junction of Green Valley Road and Paulsen Road.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A large pine tree was blown down near Soquel.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A NWS survey team found tree damage consistent with 70-80 mph straight line winds in the vicinity of Larkin Valley Road and Larkin Vista Lane.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A 3 foot diameter tree fell onto the roadway at California Route 236 and China Grade Road.
Flood Flood
Paulsen Road was closed approximately a mile south of Green Valley Road due to flooding.
Flood Flood
Street flooding was reported near High Street in Santa Cruz.
Flood Flood
Standing water was reported across all lanes of Northbound California 1 at Morrissey Boulevard.
Flood Flood
A landslide was reported near Felton Empire Road and Fetherston Way.
Flood Flood
Roadway flooding was reported at CA Highway 1 Southbound at Scott Creek. Water was reported across both lanes and vehicles were hydroplaning in the area.
Flood Flood
Water was reported on all three lanes of Northbound California 1 near La Fonda Ave and under the Soquel Bridge.
Flood Flood
The Cypress Point Apartments at Felix Street in Santa Cruz flooded as a result of Neary Lagoon overflowing. Eight units were reported flooded, with five of those being occupied at the time. Report courtesy KION-TV Monterey-Salinas and KPIX-TV San Francisco.
Hail Hail
Social media report of accumulating pea-sized hail in Scotts Valley.
Flood Flood
North Main Street in Soquel was completely washed out near Pringle Lane, after heavy rain caused debris to block the Bates Creek culvert. A temporary repair was put into place on March 11.
Flood Flood
The Old Mill Mobile Home Park in Soquel was evacuated, after several mobile homes flooded. KSBW television quoted a resident as saying that the river rushed in so fast that barely had time to leave the house. The resident compared it to ocean waves in their backyard. County offic…
Flood Flood
Heavy rain and high levels on Aptos Creek led to street flooding in the Rio Del Mar neighborhood of Aptos, trapping several people in their homes.
Flood Flood
Minor flooding due to heavy rain on Rt-17 offramp.
Debris Flow Debris Flow
Video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LFZJqrqidw, of rapid debris flow in Boulder Creek area, 200 ft from where Foreman Creek crosses under SR236. Creek runs through part of the CZU burn scar area.
Hail Hail
Image on social media shows small hail in Aptos.
Hail Hail
Public reported accumulating hail in Scotts Valley at around 1500 ft.
Debris Flow Debris Flow
A mudslide occurred in the Aptos Hills on Valencia School Rd around midnight. A 50 foot section of a rain soaked roadway gave way and a PG&E rig fell about 150 feet down the hillside https://www.ksbw.com/article/santa-cruz-utility-worker-tumbles-down-150-foot-hillside-during-land…
Debris Flow Debris Flow
A mudslide occurred in the Aptos Hills Area causing damage to a home. A truck was pushed into an additional structure. Exact time and location of the slide is unknown https://www.ksbw.com/article/mother-newborn-escape-mudslide-in-aptos-hills/35369344.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 |
| 2024 | 14 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021 | 13 | 0 |
| 2020 | 10 | 0 |
| 2019 | 27 | 2 |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 41 | 0 |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 21 | 1 |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 |
| 2006 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 |
| 2004 | 3 | 0 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 7 | 1 |
| 2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 1998 | 4 | 1 |
| 1997 | 13 | 0 |
| 1996 | 3 | 0 |
| 1986 | 1 | 1 |
| 1965 | 2 | 1 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Santa Cruz County, measured to its path.
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