Clearlake
Population 16,893 (2025)
47 large wildfires have burned within 25 miles of Clearlake since 1984.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 198447
- Major flood years since 1978, Lake County5
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Lake County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Lake County.
Tornadoes
No tornado is recorded here in the Storm Prediction Center database, which begins in 1950.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
47 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
July 27, 2018
Ranch Fire, 426,721 acres
5.3 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
September 27, 2020
Glass Fire
67,971 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Glass | 2020 | 20.3 | 67,971 |
| Hennessey | 2020 | 9.3 | 314,015 |
| Kincade | 2019 | 12.6 | 77,724 |
| Sand | 2019 | 19.6 | 2,472 |
| Snell | 2018 | 19.2 | 2,493 |
| Ranch | 2018 | 5.3 | 426,721 |
| River | 2018 | 14.0 | 48,885 |
| County | 2018 | 21.0 | 92,393 |
| Tubbs | 2017 | 20.4 | 36,946 |
| Sulfur | 2017 | 2.1 | 2,590 |
| 2017 | 15.7 | 18,674 | |
| Sawmill | 2016 | 13.8 | 1,697 |
| Clayton | 2016 | 3.0 | 3,789 |
| Valley | 2015 | 4.3 | 77,446 |
| Rocky | 2015 | 3.4 | 96,061 |
| Butts | 2014 | 18.7 | 4,268 |
| Mccabe | 2013 | 13.5 | 3,330 |
| Scotts | 2012 | 23.5 | 4,975 |
| Sixteen Complex | 2012 | 15.1 | 18,177 |
| Wye | 2012 | 3.5 | 3,105 |
| Walker Wye | 2012 | 10.3 | 5,844 |
| Mill | 2012 | 21.7 | 29,899 |
| Oasis | 2009 | 11.4 | 1,474 |
| Walker | 2008 | 8.0 | 12,429 |
| Rumsey | 2004 | 17.7 | 39,308 |
| Geysers | 2004 | 13.5 | 12,068 |
| Morgan | 2003 | 12.2 | 2,457 |
| Forty | 2003 | 17.6 | 1,309 |
| Pine | 2002 | 16.3 | 1,066 |
| 16 | 2002 | 19.2 | 1,519 |
| Hidden | 2000 | 12.8 | 3,014 |
| Morgan | 2000 | 3.5 | 3,324 |
| Sixteen | 1999 | 12.9 | 37,143 |
| Rumsey | 1999 | 19.5 | 3,082 |
| Middle | 1998 | 15.6 | 6,378 |
| Fork | 1996 | 11.1 | 83,147 |
| Lightening Fire | 1992 | 24.5 | 1,278 |
| Borax Fire | 1992 | 0.8 | 1,497 |
| Geysers | 1991 | 13.5 | 4,991 |
| Eagle | 1990 | 4.5 | 2,507 |
| Unnamed | 1989 | 10.2 | 2,937 |
| Unnamed | 1989 | 19.5 | 1,057 |
| Unnamed | 1989 | 5.5 | 2,670 |
| Unnamed | 1988 | 22.4 | 3,308 |
| Rumsey | 1988 | 19.3 | 1,393 |
| Unnamed | 1988 | 14.6 | 5,071 |
| River | 1988 | 19.7 | 1,446 |
- 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
Smokiest year
2020: 49 days
Heavy smoke on 35 days in 2020, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
17.8 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
5 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 4 so far in 2026.
- 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.
Floods and flood insurance
1,432 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $14.2 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Lake County, the county that contains Clearlake.
Most claims in one year
1998: 477 claims
$4.9 million paid.
2nd most
1995: 297 claims
$2.7 million paid.
3rd most
1986: 180 claims
$1.8 million paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 95453 | 714 | $7.9 million |
| 95422 | 156 | $1.3 million |
| 95423 | 152 | $611,000 |
| 95451 | 89 | $928,000 |
| 95485 | 78 | $1.4 million |
| 95458 | 63 | $340,000 |
| 95464 | 50 | $452,000 |
| 95457 | 39 | $273,000 |
| 95467 | 37 | $511,000 |
| 95424 | 21 | $166,000 |
| 95461 | 12 | $119,000 |
| 95443 | 10 | $46,000 |
| 95435 | 5 | $184,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood25
- Heavy Rain21
- Flash Flood2
1 death recorded in flood events since 1996.
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 Lake County, the county that contains Clearlake.
Most severe crest
February 24, 1998
Clear Lake at Lakeport, 11.51 ft
2.51 feet above the 9.0 ft flood stage; minor flooding by today’s categories.
| Feb 24, 1998 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 11.51 | +2.51 |
| Feb 2, 1986 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 11.34 | +2.34 |
| Jan 3, 1983 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 11.34 | +2.34 |
| Jan 28, 1914 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 11.09 | +2.09 |
| Feb 22, 2017 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 10.63 | +1.63 |
| Mar 2, 2019 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 9.96 | +0.96 |
| Mar 28, 2011 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 9.40 | +0.40 |
| Jan 31, 1995 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.89 | −0.11 |
| Feb 27, 2004 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.87 | −0.13 |
| Jan 25, 2017 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.60 | −0.40 |
| Feb 22, 2024 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.49 | −0.51 |
| Feb 26, 1993 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.48 | −0.52 |
| Mar 21, 2023 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.47 | −0.53 |
| Apr 5, 2006 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.46 | −0.54 |
| Feb 16, 2025 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.39 | −0.61 |
| Mar 7, 2006 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.27 | −0.73 |
| Jan 4, 2006 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 8.15 | −0.85 |
| Jan 4, 1997 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 7.94 | −1.06 |
| Mar 21, 2016 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 7.91 | −1.09 |
| Mar 25, 1999 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 7.87 | −1.13 |
| May 21, 2005 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 7.86 | −1.14 |
| May 10, 2006 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 7.83 | −1.17 |
| Apr 13, 2003 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 7.79 | −1.21 |
| Feb 25, 2008 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 6.56 | −2.44 |
| Apr 30, 2012 | Clear Lake at Lakeport | 5.96 | −3.04 |
River gauges
| Clear Lake at Lakeport | 9.0 | 11.51 ft | 0 |
- 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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 83 of 1,581 months since 1895 (5%); the longest spell lasted 11 months.
The drought index is for Lake County, the county that contains Clearlake.
83
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
11
Months in extreme drought
5%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
July 2021
−5.48, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
11 months
June 2008 to April 2009.
Latest month
September 2026
−2.31, moderate drought
Last severe month: October 2022.
- 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.
Earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides
115 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.6 in 2026.
1,325
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
115
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
6
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
June 24, 2026
11 km N of Redwood Valley, CA; 42.3 miles away, 5.5 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
October 28, 2026
Magnitude 4.0
10 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA; 41.1 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
- 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.
- 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
| Clear Lake Volcanic Field | 7.4 | High |
- 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 Lake County.
1,317
Landslides mapped, probable or better
12
With a recorded date
3
Source inventories
Mapped by CA GS (1,306), NASA (6), West Coast Slow Moving (Yuankun and others, 2021) (5).
- 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.
Severe weather and other events
112 events in the National Weather Service record for Lake County, 111 of them since 1996.
1
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
0
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
34
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
0
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
September 25, 1990
1.50 inches
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
| Debris flows | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Feb 9, 2017Flood$7.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Flooding of Clear Lake brought the closure of multiple roads. Lakeshore Boulevard was closed due to flooding between Lange Street and Giselman Street, Other strees closed included Esplanade Street, K Street, Konoctie Avenue, and Lupoyoma Avenue. Clear Lake���s level stayed in flood stage for a month and led to mandatory evacuations in parts of the city of Lakeport. Lake County Public Works Director said early assessments suggested damage to county-maintained roads ranged between $5 million and $7 million.
- Jan 1, 2006Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A series of warm winter storms brought heavy rain, mudslides, flooding, and high winds to Northern California. - Levee overtopping, breaching, and river flooding occurred along the Feather and Sacramento mainstem rivers as well as along numerous smaller rivers, creeks, and streams. Several urban areas had significant street flooding. The Sacramento weir was opened for the first time since 1997 with twenty gates opened. - Transportation throughout the area was difficult during the course of the storms as airports were closed due to the high winds and major road closures resulted from flooding and mudslides. Interstate 80...the main artery between Sacramento and the San Francisco…
- Dec 11, 2014Flood$400,000
National Weather Service narrative
Flooding was reported in Clearlake, bringing significant and widespread damage. Neighborhoods were evacuated. Roads were damaged. Extensive road repair and debris removal was required.
- Dec 11, 2014Debris Flow$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
A slide at Lakeside Heights over topped the K-railing that was placed at the base of the slope and extended out into Hill Road, blocking an access to Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
- Feb 4, 2025Flood$25,000
National Weather Service narrative
Flooded road with 2 stalled vehicles 1 mile northwest of Finley, CA.|Lat. 39.01N, Long. -122.89W.
- Feb 13, 2019Flood$20,000
National Weather Service narrative
The media reported that they received information from the California Highway Patrol that a vehicle was swept into Scotts Creek as they were trying to cross a flooded roadway. 3 people were rescued from the car.
- Jan 10, 2017Flood$10,000
National Weather Service narrative
A home adjacent to Boggs Forest in Cobb, Ca. was damaged by water runoff.
- Oct 3, 2018Flash Flood$10,000
National Weather Service narrative
Emergency Manager relayed a report of a creek beginning to flood a barn near the Mendocino-Lake County border. The water was black from ash in the Mendocino Complex and higher than the resident had ever seen before.
- Feb 4, 2025Heavy Rain$7,500
National Weather Service narrative
Landslide took out a telephone poll off of Highway 20. Lat. 39.17N, Long. -122.97W.
- Mar 1, 2024High Wind, Southern Lake County$7,500
National Weather Service narrative
Utility company reports outage for 98 customers due to Non-Thunderstorm Wind Damage 4 miles west northwest of Loch Lomond, CA. LONG. 38.89N, LONG. -122.78W.
- 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.
Weather records
From Angwin Pacific Union College, 28.7 miles from the city centre, with records from 1952.
- All-time high
- 110°FJul 15, 1972
- All-time low
- 14°FDec 9, 1972
- Warmest night
- 79°FJul 14, 1972
- Coldest day
- 30°FDec 9, 1972
- Wettest day
- 7.62 inOct 24, 2021
- Snowiest day
- 10.2 inMar 2, 1976
- Hottest year
- 2014mean 59.8°F
- Coldest year
- 1971mean 54.5°F
- Wettest year
- 198388.92 in
- Driest year
- 20138.76 in
Station Angwin Pacific Union College (USC00040212), 1,715 ft elevation, 28.7 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1952 to September 30, 2026; 97.4% 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.
Federal disaster declarations
35 since 1953. The most recent: Boyles Fire, September 8, 2024.
Declarations for Lake County.
| Sep 8, 2024 | Fire | FM-5536-CA |
| Apr 3, 2023 | Severe Storm | DR-4699-CA |
| Mar 10, 2023 | Flood | EM-3592-CA |
| Jan 9, 2023 | Flood | EM-3591-CA |
| Sep 12, 2021 | Fire | DR-4619-CA |
| Aug 22, 2020 | Fire | DR-4558-CA |
| Aug 18, 2020 | Fire | FM-5331-CA |
| Mar 22, 2020 | Biological | DR-4482-CA |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3428-CA |
| May 17, 2019 | Severe Storm | DR-4434-CA |
| Aug 4, 2018 | Fire | DR-4382-CA |
| Jul 28, 2018 | Fire | FM-5262-CA |
| Jun 24, 2018 | Fire | FM-5244-CA |
| Oct 10, 2017 | Fire | DR-4344-CA |
| Oct 9, 2017 | Fire | FM-5221-CA |
| Apr 1, 2017 | Flood | DR-4308-CA |
| Feb 14, 2017 | Severe Storm | DR-4301-CA |
| Aug 14, 2016 | Fire | FM-5145-CA |
| Sep 22, 2015 | Fire | DR-4240-CA |
| Sep 13, 2015 | Fire | FM-5112-CA |
| Aug 2, 2015 | Fire | FM-5093-CA |
| Aug 13, 2012 | Fire | FM-5004-CA |
| Jun 5, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1646-CA |
| Feb 3, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1628-CA |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3248-CA |
| Sep 4, 2004 | Fire | FM-2554-CA |
| Feb 9, 1998 | Severe Storm | DR-1203-CA |
| Jan 4, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1155-CA |
| Mar 12, 1995 | Severe Storm | DR-1046-CA |
| Jan 10, 1995 | Severe Storm | DR-1044-CA |
| Feb 21, 1986 | Flood | DR-758-CA |
| Feb 9, 1983 | Coastal Storm | DR-677-CA |
| Jan 20, 1977 | Drought | EM-3023-CA |
| Feb 16, 1970 | Flood | DR-283-CA |
| Dec 24, 1964 | Flood | DR-183-CA |
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.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- 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 USC00040212.
- 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.