Tulare County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Tulare County: 0.
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.

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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

Mapped by West Coast Slow Moving (Yuankun and others, 2021) (10), NASA (3).

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. Aug 1, 2002Wildfire$45.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Reference the McNally Fire start data in the July 2002 Stormdata. Total cost of the fire was $45.7M with 14 structures lost and 150,696 acres burned. It was contained on August 29th after starting on July 21st.

2. Jul 21, 2002Wildfire$14.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The McNally Fire was started by an illegal campfire. It charred 90,500 acres through July 31st and ultimately charred 150,696 acres. The fire was located in Tulare County near the town of Johnsondale and is the largest fire in Sequoia Park history. This fire threatened some of the park's historic Giant Sequoia Groves although they were successfully protected. There were 14 structures lost. At one time over 2,000 firefighters plus air support were being used to fight the fire. Cost to contain the fire was in excess of $14M by 7/31/02. The final cost assigned to this fire was $45.7M at containment on August 29th.

3. Feb 1, 1998Heavy Rain$13.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The following figures reflect estimated losses from the much above-normal rains and flooding of February. Subsequent months with normally increasing agricultural field operations were more significantly impacted by above normal rainfall. Consider this February list abridged and estimated in many respects (note Madera County is omitted, for example). The total rain/flood damage to area agriculture from the cooler and wetter spring in Central California is presented in the May Storm data figures.Fresno County Ag Loss $1.8M Property $1.6MKern County Ag Loss $5.4M Property $12.5MKings County Ag Loss $1.0M Property $20KMerced County Ag Loss $1.4M Property $2.0MTulare County Ag Loss…

4. Jan 2, 2006Flood$5.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Consistent rain lead to more than 3 inches of rain in a 30 hour period from mid-day on the 1st to the evening hours of the 2nd around the city of Visalia and over 3.5" of rain in the city of Tulare. Over 2 feet of water flooded portions of West Visalia as well as reports of flooding just east of Tipton. Tulare County had 45 homes damaged to some extent by flooding on the South Valley floor. Ponding basins filled in the cities of Visalia, Tulare, Exeter, Lindsay, and Farmersville. At the 2000 foot elevation of the Tulare County foothills over 7.5 inches of rain was reported during the period. Strong wind in the Tulare County Mountains felled several large trees, including one onto…

5. Jan 10, 2023Flood$5.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Television station report of several buildings, tractors and other goods were totally destroyed by about 6 feet of floodwater in Strathmore.

6. Jan 3, 2011Flood$4.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Four and a half (4.5) million dollars estimated damage to Tulare County roads from December 17th to Jjanuary 2nd storms.

7. Aug 14, 2020Excessive Heat, Tulare County$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Daytime highs ranged between 104 and 109 degrees on August 14-15 and August 18 and between 107 and 112 degrees on August 16-17.

8. Feb 28, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Trees down across Porterville. Damages reported to several houses due to fallen trees and limbs.

9. Oct 1, 2003Wildfire$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Paradise 2 Fire was lightning ignited at 2300 PST on September 25th and had previously been reported as part of the Kaweah-Kern Complex in September Stormdata. By the end of October this specific fire had consumed 1,298 acres at a cost of $1.54M.

10. May 28, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$1.5 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    NWS officials toured damage around the town of Orosi in Tulare County. Extensive wind damage from thunderstorm outflow in the town was evident. Several homes exhibited minor roof damage. Fences and trees were damaged or downed. Property damages were estimated. NWS concluded that a gust front tornado, commonly called a gustnado, occurred in this location, based on damage pattern as well as patterns indicated in tall dry grass and tree trunks and tops, and eyewitness accounts. Gust front tornadoes can occur in the outflow of a severe thunderstorm and are not considered to be true tornadoes. Winds were estimated at 60 mph.

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

115°F3 times, most recently Aug 12, 1933

All-time low

13°FJan 5, 1913

Warmest night

82°F2 times, most recently Sep 4, 1998

Coldest day

33°F2 times, most recently Dec 14, 1972

Wettest day

3.70 inOct 29, 1974

Snowiest day

2.0 inJan 25, 1999

Hottest year

2014mean 66.1°F

Coldest year

1913mean 60.8°F

Wettest year

199819.94 in

Driest year

19104.10 in

Snowiest season

2.0 in1998-99

Station Visalia (USC00049367), 303 ft elevation, 6.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1898 to October 26, 2026; 90.8% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00049367.
• 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.