Costa Mesa, CA Tornado History — 42 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Costa Mesa, CA had?
Costa Mesa has had 42 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Costa Mesa?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Costa Mesa was an EF0 on May 4, 2023.
When is tornado season in Costa Mesa?
January is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Costa Mesa, with 10 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Costa Mesa
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 4 total, averaging 0.2 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Have any tornadoes near Costa Mesa been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Costa Mesa from any of the 42 tornadoes since 1950, though 18 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Costa Mesa
About Tornadoes in Costa Mesa
This overview was written July 28, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Tornadoes around Costa Mesa run on a Southern California calendar. On the Orange County coastal plain, they tend to spin up when winter storms sweep in off the Pacific, and the dates bear that out: F1 touchdowns on January 31, 1979 and January 9, 1998, a flurry of F0 and F1 activity through January and February of 1993, and an EF1 on January 19, 2010.
The area has also seen stronger late-autumn tornadoes. On November 7, 1966, an F2 tore along a 10.3-mile path roughly 50 yards wide, injuring 10 people and causing $275,000 in property damage; an F1 and a second, far briefer F2 struck the same day. On November 9, 1982, another F2 plowed a 10-mile track that swelled to 1,300 yards across and caused $2,750,000 in property damage, with an F0 and an F1 also touching down that day.
More recent activity has been milder: an EF0 on September 22, 2007, the EF1 of January 2010, and a pair of EF0s on February 23 and May 4, 2023. For a city better known for ocean breezes than severe weather, the pattern holds steady — cool-season Pacific systems occasionally wringing out brief, weak tornadoes near the coast, with the odd November storm showing how damaging they can become.