Paradise, CA Tornado History — 19 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Paradise, CA had?
Paradise has had 19 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Paradise?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Paradise was an EF1 on December 19, 2023.
When is tornado season in Paradise?
March is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Paradise, with 5 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 Paradise
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 8 total, averaging 0.4 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Paradise since December 29, 2025
These is a preliminary report, not confirmed tornadoes. It has not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and is 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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 Paradise. 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 Paradise been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Paradise from any of the 19 tornadoes since 1950, though 6 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Paradise
About Tornadoes in Paradise
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.
Paradise sits on a ridge in the foothills of Butte County, California, overlooking the Sacramento Valley. Tornado activity around town has clustered in the cool season, arriving with the Pacific storm systems that soak Northern California from late autumn through spring rather than with summer heat.
A destructive winter event came on February 10, 1994, when an F2 tornado carved a 0.3-mile path roughly 20 yards wide, injuring two people and causing $2.75 million in property damage.
May 26, 2011 brought a burst of activity to the area, including an EF2 that tracked 0.21 miles along a path about 10 yards across and caused $120,000 in damage; EF1 tornadoes were confirmed nearby that same day.
Weaker touchdowns have accompanied winter and early-spring storms as well, including F1 tornadoes on March 4, 1978 and December 18, 1992, an F0 on January 22, 1981, and EF0s on November 18, 2020 and January 4, 2021. More recently, an EF1 touched down on December 20, 2023 — another reminder that around Paradise, the tornado threat peaks during the stormy months of winter and early spring, not the summer severe-weather season familiar in regions farther east.