Yolo County
Population 224,410 (2025) 1,013 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 221,331 acres of Yolo County since 1984, 32nd most of 58 counties in California; the largest was the Hennessey Fire in 2020.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths since 19504
- Wildfire burn scars since 198422
- Major flood years since 19783
At a glance
The record for Yolo County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Acres burned since 1984
221,331
32nd of 58 in California
22 large fires; the largest was Hennessey, 2020
DetailsTornadoes since 1950
4
30th of 58 in California
About as many as the typical California county
DetailsStrongest tornado
EF0
September 28, 2019, 1.7 mile path
Federal disaster declarations
22
Most recent: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, 2023
DetailsTornadoes
About one every 19 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
September 28, 2019
EF0, 1.7 mile path
1 yards wide.
Most recent
Saturday, September 28, 2019
EF0, 1.7 mile path
7 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Sep 28, 2019 | EF0 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 28, 2014 | EF0 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 20, 2005 | F0 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 21, 2005 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Yolo County: 0.
- 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.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
221,331 acres burned in 22 large fires since 1984, equal to 34% of the land.
Largest
August 17, 2020
Hennessey Fire, 314,015 acres
76,951 acres inside Yolo County.
Most recent
August 17, 2020
Hennessey Fire
314,015 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Hennessey | 2020 | 76,951 | 314,015 |
| Sand | 2019 | 2,210 | 2,472 |
| County | 2018 | 59,127 | 92,393 |
| Winter | 2017 | 2,483 | 2,482 |
| Cold | 2016 | 5,964 | 6,286 |
| Rocky | 2015 | 9,373 | 96,061 |
| Wragg | 2015 | 499 | 8,451 |
| Monticello | 2014 | 6,981 | 6,979 |
| Zam Assist | 2006 | 14,404 | 14,392 |
| Rumsey | 2004 | 6,271 | 39,308 |
| Forty | 2003 | 1,273 | 1,309 |
| 16 | 2002 | 1,522 | 1,519 |
| Sixteen | 1999 | 7,955 | 37,143 |
| Rumsey | 1999 | 3,084 | 3,082 |
| Middle | 1998 | 1,988 | 6,378 |
| Unnamed | 1996 | 2,879 | 2,879 |
| Winters | 1989 | 1,038 | 1,036 |
| Unnamed | 1988 | 5,571 | 5,570 |
| Blue Ridge | 1988 | 5,009 | 5,126 |
| Miller | 1988 | 6 | 35,729 |
| Rumsey | 1988 | 1,394 | 1,393 |
| Bald Mt. | 1985 | 5,339 | 5,335 |
- 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: 54 days
Heavy smoke on 37 days in 2020, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
18.2 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
4 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
340 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $3.3 million paid.
Most claims in one year
1995: 132 claims
$1.0 million paid.
2nd most
1997: 51 claims
$515,000 paid.
3rd most
1998: 43 claims
$495,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 95653 | 127 | $1.5 million |
| 95691 | 53 | $54,000 |
| 95616 | 51 | $672,000 |
| 95695 | 28 | $328,000 |
| 95618 | 17 | $218,000 |
| 95698 | 11 | $200,000 |
| 95605 | 10 | $12,000 |
| 95694 | 6 | $95,000 |
| 95627 | 6 | $87,000 |
| 95937 | 6 | $58,000 |
| 5 | $3,456 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood48
- Heavy Rain6
- Flash Flood1
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
Most severe crest
March 10, 1904
Cache Creek at Yolo, 86.40 ft
5.40 feet above the 81.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
February 27, 2019
Cache Creek at Yolo, 84.94 ft
Major flooding.
| Mar 10, 1904 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 86.40 | +5.40 |
| Mar 9, 1995 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 85.37 | +4.37 |
| Feb 25, 1958 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 85.35 | +4.35 |
| Feb 28, 1940 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 85.30 | +4.30 |
| Feb 27, 2019 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 84.94 | +3.94 |
| Jan 26, 1983 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 17.88 | +3.88 |
| Feb 22, 1999 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 17.41 | +3.41 |
| Feb 3, 1998 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 84.39 | +3.39 |
| Mar 9, 1995 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 17.07 | +3.07 |
| Jan 27, 1983 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 83.75 | +2.75 |
| Dec 31, 2005 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 83.22 | +2.22 |
| Feb 14, 2019 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 82.18 | +1.18 |
| Feb 11, 2017 | Yolo Bypass at Lisbon | 23.50 | +4.50 |
| Jan 12, 2017 | Yolo Bypass at Lisbon | 22.37 | +3.37 |
| Feb 5, 1972 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 16.40 | +2.40 |
| Feb 3, 1998 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 16.22 | +2.22 |
| Feb 9, 2025 | Yolo Bypass at Lisbon | 20.80 | +1.80 |
| Dec 31, 2005 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 15.50 | +1.50 |
| Feb 27, 2019 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 15.16 | +1.16 |
| Jan 22, 1997 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 14.90 | +0.90 |
| Mar 26, 2011 | Yolo Bypass at Lisbon | 19.70 | +0.70 |
| Jan 8, 1995 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 14.12 | +0.12 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | Yolo Bypass at Lisbon | 19.10 | +0.10 |
| Feb 18, 1958 | Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 14.00 | 0.00 |
| Jan 1, 1997 | Cache Creek at Yolo | 80.91 | −0.09 |
River gauges
| Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge | 14.0 | 17.88 ft | 3 |
| Cache Creek at Yolo | 81.0 | 86.40 ft | 6 |
| Yolo Bypass at Lisbon | 19.0 | 23.50 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 174 of 1,581 months since 1895 (11%); the longest spell lasted 19 months.
174
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
77
Months in extreme drought
11%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
July 2021
−7.74, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
19 months
February 1976 to August 1977.
Latest month
September 2026
−1.88, mild drought
Last severe month: November 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
176 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 6.0 in 2014.
33
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
1,981
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
176
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
13
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
August 24, 2014
The 2014 South Napa, California Earthquake; 23.5 miles away, 6.9 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
October 28, 2026
Magnitude 4.0
10 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA; 49.4 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 county boundary (or inside the county).
- 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 | 19.3 | 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
35
Landslides mapped, probable or better
2
With a recorded date
2
Source inventories
Mapped by CA GS (33), NASA (2).
- 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
75 events in the National Weather Service record, 73 of them since 1996.
3
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
2
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
0
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
0
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
May 18, 1994
1.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
April 8, 2005
81 mph
More event types since 1996
| Debris flows | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jan 1, 2023Flood$11.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Yolo County completed a preliminary estimate of damage from flooding, which is around $11 million in damages for the county and its partners.
- Jan 11, 2017Debris Flow$392,000
National Weather Service narrative
State Route 16 in Yolo County was closed from Rumsey Canyon to State Route 20 due to a rock/mud slide blocking the roadway.
- Jan 8, 2017Debris Flow$365,000
National Weather Service narrative
Roadway closed on Highway 16 Yolo - Rumsey to Highway 20 due to rockslide and debris in the roadway.
- Jan 10, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$20,000
National Weather Service narrative
The California Highway Patrol reported a semi-truck overturned and hanging off the side of the Interstate 5 bridge over the Yolo Bypass. A gust of 54 mph was reported at nearby Sacramento International Airport.
- Apr 8, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$15,000
National Weather Service narrative
A strong wind gust associated with a passing thunderstorm caused damage to a residential roof, the doors to a barn, and a property fence.
- Mar 21, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
National Weather Service narrative
Strong straight-line winds downed multiple trees and utility poles near downtown Woodland. Sacramento International Airport reported a max gust of 46 mph. Time was estimated by radar.
- Apr 24, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$7,000
National Weather Service narrative
A gustnado developed ahead of a line of showers moving through the city of Woodland. The discontinuous damage path was about 1700 feet long and 20 feet across. A tree two feet in diameter was uprooted, a section of metal bleachers were moved, and several tents were damaged. There was minor damage to three mobile homes in a nearby mobile home park, with porches pulled off and large flower pots knocked over.
- Feb 21, 2005Tornado$2,000
National Weather Service narrative
Brief touchdown in the Southport neighborhood of West Sacramento. Primarily tree and fence damage, though other minor damage from flying debris was noted.
- Jan 17, 2019Flood$2,000
National Weather Service narrative
Highway 16 had east and west bound lanes flooded at County Road 89 near Guys Corner. A vehicle was submerged in flood waters. Flooding was first reported at 11 am.
- Mar 20, 2005Tornado$1,000
National Weather Service narrative
Tornado traveled through an agricultural area. Damage was caused to a property fence and to a grove of almond trees.
- 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 Sacramento Airport Asos, 13.6 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1941.
- All-time high
- 115°FJun 15, 1961
- All-time low
- 18°FDec 22, 1990
- Warmest night
- 78°FJul 23, 2006
- Coldest day
- 29°FDec 14, 1972
- Wettest day
- 5.41 inOct 24, 2021
- Snowiest day
- 2.0 inFeb 5, 1976
- Hottest year
- 2014mean 64.4°F
- Coldest year
- 1982mean 57.7°F
- Wettest year
- 198333.44 in
- Driest year
- 20135.81 in
- Snowiest season
- 2.0 in1975-76
49 of 50 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Sacramento Airport Asos (USW00023232), 19 ft elevation, 13.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1941 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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
22 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, January 14, 2023.
| Jan 14, 2023 | Flood | DR-4683-CA |
| Jan 9, 2023 | Flood | EM-3591-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 |
| Apr 1, 2017 | Flood | DR-4308-CA |
| Mar 16, 2017 | Flood | DR-4305-CA |
| Feb 14, 2017 | Severe Storm | DR-4301-CA |
| Jul 23, 2015 | Fire | FM-5091-CA |
| Feb 3, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1628-CA |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3248-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 11, 1991 | Freezing | DR-894-CA |
| Feb 21, 1986 | Flood | DR-758-CA |
| Feb 9, 1983 | Coastal Storm | DR-677-CA |
| Jan 20, 1977 | Drought | EM-3023-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.
How this compares
Where Yolo County stands among 58 counties in California and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 4 | 30 / 58 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 0 | — |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 221,331 | 32 / 58 |
| Flood insurance claims | 340 | 26 / 58 |
| Flood insurance paid | $3.3 million | 33 / 58 |
| Disaster declarations | 22 | 38 / 58 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 55 | 40 / 58 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 6 | 52 / 58 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 0 | — |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $11.8 million | 46 / 58 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 9 | 6 / 58 |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 174 | 27 / 58 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 18.2 | 27 / 58 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 176 | 32 / 58 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 33 | 47 / 58 |
Neighbouring counties
| Colusa County | 4 | 0 |
| Lake County | 0 | 0 |
| Napa County | 1 | 0 |
| Sacramento County | 16 | 0 |
| Solano County | 4 | 0 |
| Sutter County | 6 | 0 |
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 USW00023232.
- 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.