Oroville, CA Tornado History — 21 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Oroville, CA had?
Oroville has had 21 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Oroville?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Oroville was an EF1 on December 19, 2023.
When is tornado season in Oroville?
May is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Oroville, with 4 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 Oroville
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 8 total, averaging 0.4 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 Oroville been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Oroville from any of the 21 tornadoes since 1950, though 6 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Oroville
About Tornadoes in Oroville
This overview was written July 29, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Oroville sits in Butte County, where the northern Sacramento Valley meets the Sierra Nevada foothills along the Feather River, and its tornado history carries a distinctly Californian signature: brief, narrow twisters spun up by Pacific storm systems, often in the heart of winter.
That cool-season pattern shows plainly here. F1 tornadoes touched down on December 18, 1992, an F1 followed on January 8, 1993, and an EF1 arrived on December 20, 2023 — midwinter dates that would be out of place on the Plains but suit the vigorous fronts that push in off the Pacific and sweep up the valley. These compact storms can still do serious harm: on February 10, 1994, an F2 tornado cut a track only about 0.3 miles long and 20 yards wide, yet injured two people and caused $2.75 million in property damage.
Late spring brings its own risk as the valley heats up. May 26, 2011 produced a flurry of tornadoes around the area, including an EF2 that ran 0.21 miles on a roughly 10-yard-wide path and caused $120,000 in property damage; an EF0 followed on June 2, 2011. Shoulder-season touchdowns — an EF0 on October 22, 2012 and another on November 18, 2020 — round out a local pattern in which tornado weather can arrive well outside the classic spring season.