Fresno, CA Tornado History — 31 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Fresno, CA had?
Fresno has had 31 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Fresno?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Fresno was an EF0 on March 1, 2024.
When is tornado season in Fresno?
March is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Fresno, with 8 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 Fresno
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 4 total, averaging 0.2 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Fresno since December 29, 2025
These are 4 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Fresno. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
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 Fresno been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Fresno from any of the 31 tornadoes since 1950, though 3 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Fresno
About Tornadoes in Fresno
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.
Fresno lies in the flat farm country of the San Joaquin Valley, and its tornadoes reflect that setting: generally brief, narrow funnels spun up when cold Pacific storm systems cross the Central Valley in the cool months. The dates in Fresno County's tornado history cluster heavily in winter and early spring — January, February, and March appear again and again — rather than in the summertime pattern familiar from the Plains.
The area's history nonetheless includes damaging events. An F2 tornado struck on March 22, 1962, carving a half-mile path roughly ten yards wide and causing $2,750 in property damage. F1 tornadoes followed on February 19, 1980, March 29, 1982, and March 9, 1986, all in the heart of the valley's stormy late-winter season. On November 26, 1997, and again on February 27, 2000, single storm days produced multiple F0 touchdowns around Fresno — a signature of the quick-hitting, low-topped storms the Central Valley tends to generate.
That cool-season rhythm has carried into recent years. An EF0 touched down on January 18, 2010, and another on February 12, 2018. An EF1 struck on January 17, 2019, in the depth of winter, and an EF0 on March 1, 2024, kept the city's early-spring pattern intact.