Riverside

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 Riverside County, the county that contains Riverside.

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.

The drought index is for Riverside County, the county that contains Riverside.

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.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Riverside County.

Mapped by CA GS (806), NASA (29).

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. Feb 14, 2019Flash Flood$70.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall of 3 to 6 inches occurred in 12 hours and up to 1 inch per hour rates. This was the most significant flash flooding and debris flows since the December 6, 2018 event. The Holy fire scar flooded and sent debris flows through Temescal Canyon road and into homes and over roadways. Riverside County reported up to 70 million dollars in flood control structure damage in the 8 canyons affected.

2. Jul 19, 2015Flash Flood$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Aided by lingering tropical moisture from former hurricane Dolores, intense thunderstorms with torrential rain developed near Desert Center during the afternoon hours on July 19th. Based on radar estimates, over 6 inches of rain fell over several hours along and just to the south of Interstate 10, just to the west of Desert Center. According to a trained weather spotter about 4 miles west of Desert Center, the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 collapsed where they crossed a heavily flowing wash, and one vehicle drove into the hole in the collapsed bridge. The driver became trapped by crushed asphalt and needed to be rescued. The injured driver was extracted from his truck and taken…

3. Sep 9, 2024Wildfire, Santa Ana Mountains And Foothills$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Airport fire began at 120 pm PDT Monday September 9, 2024 in Trabuco Canyon, at a remote controlled airport facility, following an excessive heat wave where temperatures reached 100 to 112F. The wildfire burned the next 2 weeks across the Santa Ana mountains and SR 74 which was closed. The wildfire reached into western Riverside County, just west of Lake Elsinore. Total acreage was 23,500. Estimated cost of 95 million. There were a total of 160 structures destroyed in Riverside and Orange Counties with 89 of those structures in Orange County. 22 persons, 2 were civilians and the rest firefighters, suffered injuries. A Fire Management Assistance Grant was issued and approved by…

4. Oct 21, 2007High Wind, San Bernardino And Riverside County Valleys - The Inland Empire$35.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong Santa Ana wind event caused widespread wind damage across the Inland Empire. Wind gusts in excess of 70 mph snapped power poles, toppled trees, overturned big rigs, and damaged roofs. In one of the hardest hit areas, the wind caused an estimated $2.6 million in damage at Mt. San Jacinto College. Many of the surrounding homes sustained minor to major roof damage. Elswhere, a portion of the 215 freeway between Devore and I-10 was shut down as a result of the high wind, overturned big rigs, and blowing dust.||Wind gusts of 50 mph or greater were observed for 19 consecutive hours at Beaumont and 14 hours (5 consecutive hours) at Ontario. A peak wind gust of 79 mph was…

5. Feb 18, 2005Heavy Rain$20.0 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…

6. Sep 10, 2024Wildfire, San Bernardino And Riverside County Valleys - The Inland Empire$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Airport fire began at 120 pm PDT Monday September 9, 2024 in Trabuco Canyon of Orange County (remote control airport facility) and then burned to the Santa Ana mountain crest and Santiago Peak and reached into western Riverside County on September 10th, 2024. The wildfire caused major damage in the small town of El Cariso village and prompted evacuations into Lake Elsinore. Riverside County reported 55 structures destroyed and 7 homes severe damaged. There were about 50 vehicles that were burned and damaged, which many were historical models and featured in movies. Over 150 structures were destroyed in including 119 homes due to the Airport wildfire between Orange and…

7. Jan 7, 2005Heavy Rain$20.0 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.

8. Aug 6, 2015Tornado$18.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The damage was west of Highway 111 between 64th and 66th Avenues, paralleling Highway 86 towards the mountains, or approximately 3 1/2 miles. An emergency manager for the Imperial irrigation water district (IID) reported a total of 140 poles damaged, 30 of which were steel.

9. Feb 14, 2019Flash Flood$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy Rainfall of 5 to 9 inches in 24 hours caused devastating flash floods on Highway 243 north of Idyllwild. The state highway remains closed as of late April 2019. This was north of the Cranston Burn Scar.

10. Oct 26, 2006Wildfire, Riverside County Mountains$10.3 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Esperanza Fire was intentionally set during the early morning hours of the 26th at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains near Cabazon. Weather conditions during the onset of the fire were typical of a Santa Ana wind event with gusty east to northeast winds and relative humidity values of less than 10%. Red Flag conditions and abundant dry fuels resulted in the rapid spread of the fire westward through the Banning Pass and up the steep slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains. Observed rates of spread were 20 mph on level terrain and 40 mph where steep terrain and gusty winds aligned. The fire destroyed 34 homes and 20 outbuildings and resulted in an estimated $10.3 million in…

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°FAug 12, 1933

All-time low

15°FJan 14, 1963

Warmest night

83°FJul 7, 2018

Coldest day

38°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1917

Wettest day

5.28 inFeb 15, 1927

Snowiest day

12.0 inDec 29, 1915

Hottest year

2014mean 69.0°F

Coldest year

1933mean 60.4°F

Wettest year

201026.83 in

Driest year

19722.71 in

Station Elsinore (USC00042805), 1,268 ft elevation, 17.6 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1897 to September 29, 2026; 85.0% 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 Riverside 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 USC00042805.
• 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.
• 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.