Marin County, California
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 06041 · population 262,172 · 520 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 753 records for Marin County, California from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 369 days; the most frequent are high wind and dust records (403 records). 586 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the November 2, 2024 strong wind, filed for the forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore, which covers the county: 5 deaths and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 26 declarations naming the county since 1964, 24 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides” on April 3, 2023.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 753on 369 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 60103 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $430Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 1strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 26latest 2023
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Marin County most?
The most frequent records are high wind and dust records: 403 since 1996. The rank column places the county among California's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High wind and dust storms | 403 | 174 | 1996-2026 | 16 | 12 | $21M | 2 of 57 |
| Floods | 153 | 98 | 1997-2026 | 1 | 2 | $331M | 1 of 57 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 32 | 23 | 2006-2021 | 1 | 0 | $71M | 2 of 57 |
| Heat | 30 | 23 | 1996-2026 | 9 | 46 | $19 | 10 of 57 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 27 | 26 | 2008-2025 | 25 | 5 | $101K | 4 of 57 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 26 | 17 | 2012-2025 | 0 | 4 | $129K | 10 of 57 |
| Wildfires | 26 | 23 | 2013-2024 | 3 | 14 | $646K | 4 of 57 |
| Extreme cold | 17 | 12 | 2007-2023 | 1 | 5 | $4.3M | 18 of 57 |
| Hail | 12 | 11 | 1996-2021 | 0 | 0 | $577 | 2 of 57 |
| Heavy rain | 10 | 10 | 1996-2024 | 2 | 0 | $425K | 13 of 57 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 5 | 5 | 2004-2011 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 1 of 57 |
| Winter storms | 5 | 4 | 2001-2011 | 2 | 15 | $82K | 40 of 57 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 4 | 4 | 2004-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 of 57 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2009-2019 | 0 | 0 | $42K | 10 of 57 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 1996-1996 | 0 | 0 | $386K | 35 of 57 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Marin County had?
NOAA records 1 tornado in Marin County from 1996 to 1996, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 1 tornado whose track touched Marin County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 1, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in California.
Every tornado record filed for Marin County (1)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-12-23 | Tomales, Marin County | F1 6 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $386K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Marin County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 17, 2026 strong wind.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-17 | Strong WindMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore | 40 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10 |
| 2026-05-17 | Strong WindMarin County · forecast zone Marin Coastal Range | 42 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10 |
| 2026-05-17 | Strong WindMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 30 kt wind | 0 | 1 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Strong WindMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 26 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-16 | High WindMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-16 | Strong WindMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore | 45 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10 |
| 2026-03-21 | Strong WindMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore | 26 kt wind | 1 | 1 | – |
| 2026-03-20 | HeatMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-20 | HeatMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-18 | HeatMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-17 | HeatMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | HeatMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-02 | Strong WindMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore The Coast Guard received a report about six people on an overdue boat near Bodega Bay at 11:40 PM Saturday from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. The boaters departed Westside Marina on a 21-foot long blue and white vessel at 3 PM and were expected back by 7 PM. A 13-year old boy was found alive off South Salmon ... | 27 kt wind | 5 | 1 | – |
| 2010-07-14 | High SurfMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore A 24-foot motorized fishing boat capsized in the six to eight foot surf about one mile offshore of Ten Mile Beach, also known as The Great Beach, north of Point Reyes. The four fishermen aboard lost their lives as they were thrown into the frigid water. None of them were wearing life vests. Also, the boat was totally ... | 4 | 0 | $27K | |
| 1996-08-15 | HeatMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Sonoma/Marin Counties A week-long stretch of temperatures over 100 degrees, topping at 110 degrees for two days, combined with higher-than-normal relative humidities led to 4 heat-related deaths in Kern County. | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2000-06-14 | HeatMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone Alameda / Contra Costa This unusual early summer record breaking heat wave was responsible for 10 deaths in the Bay Area and a large number of heat related injuries. Temperature record of 103 degrees in San Francisco tied the all time record high temperature. Other record highs for the day were Livermore had 107 degrees, Oakland 106 ... | 3 | 15 | – | |
| 2020-08-17 | WildfireMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Mountains A second round of thunderstorms moved through the region into the morning of August 17th producing additional lightning strikes over the Bay Area. On the early morning of the 17th lightning produced a fire in Napa County that became the Hennessey Fire. Eventually, this fire merged with several other fires across Napa, ... | 3 | 5 | – | |
| 2021-01-03 | High SurfMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore A family of four was pulled into the ocean at Blind Beach in Sonoma County while playing near the water by a large wave. The mother was able to get out, but the father and two children did not make it https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/father-drowns-trying-to-save-his-children-at-sonoma-county-beach/. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-03-11 | Winter WeatherMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore A sudden, brief snow shower coated Highway 101 just north of the Golden Gate Bridge with ice and slushy snow. A chain reaction accident occurred, involving 28 vehicles creating a monstrous pileup - killing 2 people and injuring more than a dozen. The pileup scattered wreckage 350 to 400 feet along the road. | 2 | 15 | – | |
| 2012-12-28 | SneakerwaveMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore A pair of fishermen, father and son, and a friend were fishing on rocks near the Golden Gate Bridge. A large sneaker wave swept them off the rocks and into the ocean. The friend was able to swim back to shore and contacted authorities. A Tiburon Fire Department boat found the bodies of the father and son about 100 ... | 2 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-12-31 | FloodCountywide, Marin County | 0 | 0 | $163M | |
| 2006-01-01 | FloodCountywide, Marin County | 0 | 0 | $158M | |
| 2006-04-01 | Debris FlowMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 1 | 0 | $50M | |
| 2006-04-02 | Debris FlowMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Mountains | 0 | 0 | $17M | |
| 2001-11-24 | High WindMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Sonoma / Marin | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5.0M |
| 2014-12-11 | Flash FloodNovato, Marin County | 0 | 0 | $5.0M | |
| 2007-01-06 | Frost/FreezeMarin County and 2 more · forecast zone North Bay Interior Valleys | 0 | 0 | $4.3M | |
| 1998-02-06 | Flash FloodSouth Portion, Marin County | 0 | 0 | $3.6M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Marin County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 9 | 70 | 202 | 122 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 10 | 17 | 81 | 45 |
| Landslides and avalanches | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | 28 | 2 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 1 | 8 | 2 | 19 |
| Rip currents and high surf | – | – | – | – | 0 | 3 | 16 | 8 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Marin County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 147 · Feb 146 · Mar 55 · Apr 23 · May 24 · Jun 16 · Jul 13 · Aug 7 · Sep 22 · Oct 55 · Nov 104 · Dec 141 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Marin County
FEMA's register lists 26 declarations that include Marin County: 22 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (10) and flood (9).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-03 | DR-4699 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-01-14 | DR-4683 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-01-09 | EM-3591 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2020-03-22 | DR-4482 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3428 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-05-17 | DR-4434 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2019-05-01 | DR-4431 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2017-04-01 | DR-4308 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2017-02-14 | DR-4301 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2006-06-05 | DR-1646 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2006-02-03 | DR-1628 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3248 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1998-02-09 | DR-1203 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 1997-01-04 | DR-1155 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Landslides |
| 1995-03-12 | DR-1046 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding Landslides, Mud Flow |
| 1995-01-10 | DR-1044 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mud Flows |
| 1991-02-11 | DR-894 | Freezing | Severe Freeze |
| 1989-10-18 | DR-845 | Earthquake | Loma Prieta Earthquake |
| 1986-02-21 | DR-758 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1983-02-09 | DR-677 | Coastal Storm | Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides & Tornadoes |
| 1982-01-07 | DR-651 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flood, Mudslides & High Tide |
| 1977-01-20 | EM-3023 | Drought | Drought |
| 1973-02-08 | DR-364 | Flood | Severe Storms, High Tides & Flooding |
| 1970-02-16 | DR-283 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1969-01-26 | DR-253 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1964-12-24 | DR-183 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Marin County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 153 flood or flash flood records for Marin County from 1997 to 2026, on 98 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Marin County ranks 129th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $54.9 million on 3,301 claims filed in Marin County; the most in one year was 626 in 1982. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 36 · 1979: 18 · 1980: 86 · 1981: 23 · 1982: 626 · 1983: 498 · 1984: 10 · 1985: 8 · 1986: 247 · 1987: 6 · 1988: 6 · 1989: 9 · 1990: 3 · 1991: 5 · 1992: 12 · 1993: 67 · 1994: 25 · 1995: 147 · 1996: 24 · 1997: 22 · 1998: 274 · 1999: 7 · 2000: 9 · 2001: 38 · 2002: 37 · 2003: 16 · 2004: 21 · 2005: 555 · 2006: 62 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 29 · 2009: 12 · 2010: 15 · 2011: 7 · 2012: 17 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 49 · 2015: 4 · 2016: 15 · 2017: 58 · 2018: 8 · 2019: 35 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 40 · 2022: 7 · 2023: 28 · 2024: 15 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 57.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Marin County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Marin County Relatively High overall, with an expected annual loss of $259 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flooding | Very High | $20M | 1.6 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively High | $1.9M | 12 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | $110M | once in about 10 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $116M | 2.1 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $3.6M | once in about 391 years (modeled) |
| Tsunami | Relatively Moderate | $6.4M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $1.3M | 4.5 modeled event-days a year |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $183K | 29 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Marin County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in CaliforniaEvery California tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- High wind and dust storms in CaliforniaThe state's high wind and dust records, by county, year and month
- The California recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Marin CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Marin County's FEMA declarations (CSV)26 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis