Barstow

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for San Bernardino County, the county that contains Barstow.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in San Bernardino County, the county that contains Barstow.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for San Bernardino County, the county that contains Barstow.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Volcanoes within 100 miles

1. U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.

USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in San Bernardino County.

Mapped by CA GS (198), USGS Post-Fire Debris Flows (60), NASA (33), USGS Conterminous (2).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Oct 25, 2003Wildfire$696 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Named the Old Fire, this fire was started by an arsonist on October 25. It consumed 91,200 acres before it was fully contained on November 5, 2003. During the month of October, it destroyed 850 houses, 10 commercial buildings, 1460 power poles, 220 electrical transformers, several miles of highway and utility infrastructure. It also damaged another 35 houses. The entire San Bernardino Mountain range was evacuated. An estimated 80,000 people were evacuated during the first day, and this caused a 28 mile long traffic jam on Highway 18. Eventually the foothill communities of Silverwood Lake, South Hesperia, Oak Hills, Summit Valley, Telephone Canyon, and Las Flores were also…

2. Nov 1, 2003Wildfire$279 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Old Fire, which began on October 25, was not fully contained until November 5. During the first few days of November, another 2 deaths and 7 injuries occurred and 143 structures were lost. These are in addition to those reported in the October 2003 Storm data for the Old Fire. Light to moderate rain, sleet, and snow fell 11/01 through 11/03 and slowed the fire growth. Rock and mud slides on Highway 18 and 330 hampered access to some areas during these days, but crews were able to complete containment lines by November 5. The fire was still active until mid November. The total cost of fire fighting (October 25 through November 14, 2003) was computed at $42,336,057.

3. Dec 19, 2010Flood$97.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   San Bernardino County was the hardest hit county in California in terms of amount of damage due to the heavy rain at the end of December. County officials put the total damage amount (including public and private property of all types and labor to repair damage) at approximately $97 million. Both state and federal money will be available to help those affected.|Highway 395 at Highway 18 completely flooded with several stalled vehicles. Eastbound Highway 138 just west of LA County line has mud, debris and water across all lanes. Highway 18, west of Sheep Creek road is closed, as well as Koala Road between Rancho and El Mirage, due to flooding.

4. Jan 7, 2005Heavy Rain$70.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A storm lasting 5 days dropped heavy rain across all of southern California. Flash flooding and mudslides caused millions of dollars of damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, parks, roads and bridges. Broken pipes and excessive runoff spilled millions of gallons of sewage into area lakes, rivers, and beaches. The strawberry crop sustained serious damaged and Inland Empire dairy farms were significantly impacted by the heavy rains as well. A state of emergency was declared for all 4 counties in the San Diego CWA following the storm. Storm total rainfall was 31.75 inches at Lake Arrowhead, 29.70 inches at Lytle Creek, 19.86 inches at Devore, and 15.09 inches at Palomar Mountain.

5. Oct 22, 2007Wildfire, San Bernardino County Mountains$65.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Slide Fire was intentionally set during red flag conditions on October 22nd near Green Valley Lake and Crestline. The fire burned 12,759 acres, destroyed 272 homes and 3 outbuildings, and damaged 43 additional structures. Nine firefighters were injuried. The total cost to fight the fire was $23.3M. The Slide Fire was one of thirteen large, wind-driven wildfires to impact the San Diego CWA in late October.

6. Aug 16, 2016Wildfire, San Bernardino County Mountains$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Blue Cut fire began on August 16 around 0938 PST along Interstate 15 between Blue Cut & Kenwood, Swarthout Canyon/Devore, San Bernardino County. The fire spread rapidly to the north, with much of the total acreage burned within the first couple of days. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for over 84,000 people and 35,000 homes. Numerous road closures, including I��-15 in both directions for two days, with traffic building up in both directions waiting for the interstate to reopen. The Union Pacific Railroad reported burnt trusses with railroad service stopped in both directions and won't resume until trusses are rebuilt. Numerous homes and structures destroyed…

7. Oct 22, 2007Wildfire, San Bernardino County Mountains$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Grass Valley Fire was intentionally set during red flag conditions on October 22nd near Lake Arrowhead. The fire burned 1,247 acres, destroyed 174 homes and 2 outbuildings, and damaged 25 additional structures. The total cost to fight the fire was $6.9M.

8. Oct 21, 2003Wildfire$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Named the Grand Prix Fire, this fire was started by arsonist on October 21, 2003. It burned 59,448 acres before being fully contained on November 5, 2003. During the first seven days, the fire increased rapidly in size and burned across freeways, railways, and into the communities of Glen Helen, Cajon Canyon, Mt. Baldy Village, Lytle Creek, Rancho Cucamonga, and Fontana. It destroyed 135 houses, 60 outbuildings, 1 commercial property, 1 helicopter, 11 cars, 1 boat, 1 trailer, and several miles of utility and highway infrastructure. It also damaged another 71 houses and 10 outbuildings. Atmospheric conditions preceding the fire were: maximum temperatures near 105 degrees, minimum…

9. Feb 18, 2005Heavy Rain$40.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An extended period of very wet weather dumped more than 3 to 6 inches of rain along the coast and inland valleys, more than 6 to 12 inches in the foothills and mountains, and more than 2 inches in the deserts. Some of the more impressive totals in inches are 6.80 at Fullerton Airport, 12.33 at Lake Arrowhead, and 18.79 at Lytle Creek. The San Diego River crested above flood stage at 11.46 feet, and the San Luis Rey River crested a half foot below flood stage at 15.89 feet. Lake Hodges, which was at 17% of capacity before the rains started in October, began to spill on the 21st. Mudslides again damaged roads and destroyed homes. The ground became too saturated to support some…

10. Aug 25, 2013Flash Flood$40.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Flash flooding at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin damaged over 160 buildings, with the elementary school suffering the most extensive damage.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

118°F6 times, most recently Jul 9, 2024

All-time low

7°FDec 23, 1990

Warmest night

90°FJul 11, 2021

Coldest day

29°FJan 11, 1949

Wettest day

2.28 inSep 10, 1976

Snowiest day

9.0 inDec 15, 1967

Hottest year

1981mean 70.6°F

Coldest year

1944mean 64.9°F

Wettest year

19839.38 in

Driest year

20060.75 in

Snowiest season

14.0 in1948-49

Station Barstow-daggett Airport (USW00023161), 1,919 ft elevation, 14.6 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1943 to October 26, 2026; 99.5% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for San Bernardino County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00023161.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.