San Joaquin County, California
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 06077 · population 778,512 · 1,392 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 401 records for San Joaquin County, California from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 273 days; the most frequent are drought records (83 records). 285 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 January 13, 2015 dense fog, filed for the forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley, which covers the county: 5 deaths, 3 injuries and $50,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 25 declarations naming the county since 1964, 22 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
- 401on 273 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 2452 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $2.4Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 19strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 25latest 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 San Joaquin County most?
The most frequent records are drought records: 83 since 2014. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 83 | 49 | 2014-2023 | 0 | 0 | $1.9B | 14 of 57 |
| Heat | 69 | 51 | 1999-2024 | 4 | 14 | – | 13 of 57 |
| Floods | 67 | 42 | 1996-2026 | 2 | 0 | $107M | 25 of 57 |
| High wind and dust storms | 58 | 41 | 1996-2025 | 3 | 8 | $9.0M | 40 of 57 |
| Extreme cold | 34 | 27 | 1998-2024 | 5 | 0 | $29M | 19 of 57 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 27 | 23 | 1996-2026 | 10 | 25 | $1.2M | 18 of 57 |
| Heavy rain | 19 | 15 | 1998-2021 | 0 | 0 | $364M | 26 of 57 |
| Tornadoes | 19 | 16 | 1967-2022 | 0 | 0 | $658K | 4 of 57 |
| Wildfires | 11 | 11 | 2014-2025 | 0 | 1 | $31M | 42 of 57 |
| Hail | 5 | 4 | 2000-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 42 of 57 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 4 | 4 | 1988-2023 | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | 34 of 57 |
| Winter storms | 3 | 2 | 1996-2009 | 0 | 0 | – | 54 of 57 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 1997-2009 | 0 | 4 | – | 22 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 San Joaquin County had?
NOAA records 19 tornadoes in San Joaquin County from 1967 to 2022, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 4th of 57 California counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 19 tornadoes whose track touched San Joaquin County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 19, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in California.
Every tornado record filed for San Joaquin County (19)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-04-21 | Terminous, San Joaquin County | EFU 0.02 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-04-11 | Ortega, San Joaquin County | EF0 0.25 mi x 5 yd | 0 | 0 | $13K |
| 2005-12-26 | Tracy, San Joaquin County | F0 0.3 mi x 0 yd | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2005-04-08 | Lathrop, San Joaquin County | F0 1.5 mi x 0 yd | 0 | 0 | $136K |
| 1998-03-28 | Tracy, San Joaquin County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 1996-04-01 | Lodi, San Joaquin County | F0 0.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-04-01 | Lodi, San Joaquin County | F0 0.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-04-01 | Stockton, San Joaquin County | F0 0.3 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-04-01 | Stockton, San Joaquin County | F0 0.8 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-03-26 | San Joaquin County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988-04-19 | San Joaquin County | F1 0.2 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1982-06-29 | San Joaquin County | F0 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1981-03-19 | San Joaquin County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1981-01-23 | San Joaquin County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1978-03-31 | San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | $25K step | |
| 1971-04-24 | San Joaquin County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1970-04-27 | San Joaquin County | F0 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1969-10-16 | San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1967-05-31 | San Joaquin County | F1 0.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
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 San Joaquin County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 30, 2026 dense fog (1 death).
A crash was reported near Walnut Grove, CA in Sacramento County at intersection of Twin Cities Rd and River Rd around 7:30 AM on January 30th. Dense fog was being observed at the time. Fairfield visibility observations were down to 0.12 miles, Davis Airport was down to less than a quarter mile, Sacramento Executive Airport was down to 1 mile, and Stockton Airport was down to a quarter mile.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1308055)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-21 | FloodLodi, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodStockton, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodFairoaks, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-10 | HailRipon, San Joaquin County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-16 | FloodFarmington, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | FloodWagner Hgts, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | FloodOrford, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-16 | FloodStockton, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Dense FogSacramento County and 2 more · forecast zone Carquinez Strait And Delta | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-04 | FloodLathrop, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-03 | FloodClements, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-03 | FloodFairoaks, San Joaquin County | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-01-13 | Dense FogCalaveras County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley A 2 vehicle car crash occurred on Highway 4 off Van Allen Rd., east of the city of Stockton, resulting in 5 fatalities and 3 injuries. The accident occurred at approximately 6:30 am PST and is thought to be related to poor visibility from fog. First responders reported visibility less than 100 feet when they arrived ... | 5 | 3 | $50K | |
| 2013-10-27 | Strong WindCalaveras County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley Onshore winds increased in the afternoon Oct. 27th ahead of the strong trough. Winds in Tracy measured 44mph, Stockton measured 44mph, and Campo Seco measured 49mph. Blowing dust greatly restricted visibility and brought traffic to a slow crawl on highly traveled roads (I-5 and I-580) in the late afternoon and evening ... | 43 kt wind | 2 | 2 | – |
| 2008-07-09 | HeatCalaveras County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley A daily maximum temperature record of 109 degrees was set at the Modesto Airport. This broke the previous record of 106 degrees set in 2006. A daily high minimum temperature record of 77 degrees was set at the Modesto Airport. This broke the previous record of 70 degrees set in 1997. A daily maximum temperature record ... | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 1998-12-11 | Dense FogCalaveras County and 2 more · forecast zone San Joaquin T Nw/Stanislaus/X Sw Tuolumne/Sw Calaveras Dense fog resulted in a multi-fatal accident 15 miles northeast of Stockton on Highway 88 at about 0410 PST. | 2 | 2 | $72K | |
| 2026-01-30 | Dense FogSacramento County and 2 more · forecast zone Carquinez Strait And Delta A crash was reported near Walnut Grove, CA in Sacramento County at intersection of Twin Cities Rd and River Rd around 7:30 AM on January 30th. Dense fog was being observed at the time. Fairfield visibility observations were down to 0.12 miles, Davis Airport was down to less than a quarter mile, Sacramento Executive ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-08-06 | Cold/Wind ChillAmador County and 4 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley A report of a distressed person in the water on the Stanislaus River near Salida, CA was received around 7:45 PM. By 8:18 PM, the body of a 26-year old male was recovered. Lifesaving measures were attempted by first responders, but he was later pronounced deceased. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-05-25 | Cold/Wind ChillAmador County and 4 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley A swimmer was swimming in the Woodward Reservoir across the channel near Mountain View Point on May 25th, 2024 and was found dead after he went under the water and never came back up. Authorities found his body around 8pm. Water Temperature at Stanislaus River at Oakdale CA, approximately 5 miles from the Woodward ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-05-09 | Cold/Wind ChillAmador County and 4 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley On May 9th, a 30 year old female was watching her children play in the water and noticed her 11 year old daughter struggling to keep her head above water. The 30 year old female then jumped into the river to help, but also struggled to stay afloat. Soon after seeing this, her 14 year old son then jumped in the water ... | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-12-01 | DroughtCalaveras County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley | 0 | 0 | $1.9B | |
| 1998-05-01 | Heavy RainCountywide, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | $362M | |
| 2023-01-01 | FloodEagle Tree, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | $104M | |
| 2007-01-14 | Frost/FreezeCalaveras County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley | 0 | 0 | $29M | |
| 2008-01-04 | High WindCalaveras County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.0M |
| 2014-07-04 | WildfireSacramento County and 2 more · forecast zone Carquinez Strait And Delta | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | |
| 1998-05-05 | Flash FloodEscalon, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 2017-09-23 | WildfireSacramento County and 2 more · forecast zone Carquinez Strait And Delta | 0 | 0 | $2.4M |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 27, 1970 (tornado, San Joaquin County); March 31, 1978 (tornado, San Joaquin County); January 23, 1981 (tornado, San Joaquin County).
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 San Joaquin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 39 | 44 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 2 | 33 | 7 | 27 z |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 9 | 7 | 6 | 45 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 19 | 13 | 11 | 15 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 4 | 17 | 2 | 11 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 12 | 6 | 7 | 2 |
Heat in the 2020-26: 27 records against 7 in the decade before, 27 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the San Joaquin County days with a record above.
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 San Joaquin County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 62 · Feb 42 · Mar 28 · Apr 38 · May 36 · Jun 31 · Jul 30 · Aug 15 · Sep 23 · Oct 30 · Nov 29 · Dec 37 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for San Joaquin County
FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include San Joaquin County: 19 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (10) and severe storm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-03 | DR-4699 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-03-10 | EM-3592 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, 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 |
| 2017-04-01 | DR-4308 | Flood | 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 |
| 2004-06-30 | DR-1529 | Dam/Levee Break | Flooding As A Result of A Levee Break |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 1982-09-24 | DR-669 | Flood | Levee Break |
| 1982-01-07 | DR-651 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flood, Mudslides & High Tide |
| 1980-10-02 | DR-633 | Flood | Levee Break & Flooding |
| 1980-02-01 | EM-3078 | Coastal Storm | Torrential Rain, High Tide & Winds |
| 1977-01-20 | EM-3023 | Drought | Drought |
| 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 San Joaquin County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 67 flood or flash flood records for San Joaquin County from 1996 to 2026, on 42 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), San Joaquin County ranks 582nd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $8.2 million on 421 claims filed in San Joaquin County; the most in one year was 80 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1980: 8 · 1982: 1 · 1983: 36 · 1984: 3 · 1986: 26 · 1988: 1 · 1989: 1 · 1991: 2 · 1992: 2 · 1993: 2 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 12 · 1996: 20 · 1997: 80 · 1998: 66 · 1999: 3 · 2000: 7 · 2002: 3 · 2003: 1 · 2004: 7 · 2005: 3 · 2006: 15 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 2 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 1 · 2012: 5 · 2014: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2017: 30 · 2019: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 15 · 2023: 47 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 1; the other years: 0.
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 San Joaquin County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates San Joaquin County Relatively High overall, with an expected annual loss of $422 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Very High | $83M | 69 modeled event-days a year |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | $184M | once in about 9 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $138M | 1.1 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | $11M | 7 modeled event-days a year |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.5M | 7.7 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $1.9M | once in about 317 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $316K | once in about 14 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.2M | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with San Joaquin 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
- Drought in CaliforniaThe state's drought 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 San Joaquin CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download San Joaquin County's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis