Pasadena, CA Tornado History — 40 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Pasadena, CA had?
Pasadena has had 40 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Pasadena?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Pasadena was an EF0 on March 13, 2025.
When is tornado season in Pasadena?
March is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Pasadena, 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 Pasadena
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 6 total, averaging 0.3 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 Pasadena been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Pasadena from any of the 40 tornadoes since 1950, though 49 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Pasadena
About Tornadoes in Pasadena
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.
Pasadena sits in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, against the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, in a part of Southern California where tornadoes arrive most often with cool-season Pacific storms rather than spring supercells. The tornadoes documented around the city cluster from late fall through early spring, when winter systems push unstable marine air across the Los Angeles basin.
On November 7, 1966, an F2 tornado tracked 10.3 miles on a path 50 yards wide, injuring 10 people. Another F2 struck on November 9, 1982, cutting a 10-mile swath as much as 1,300 yards wide and causing $2.75 million in property damage. And on March 1, 1983, an F2 tore a 3.5-mile path 100 yards wide through the area, injuring 30 people and doing $27.5 million in property damage.
Recent seasons have kept to the same calendar. An EF1 tornado touched down on March 22, 2023, in a stormy year that also brought an EF0 on February 23, 2023, and EF0 touchdowns on May 4, 2023; another EF0 followed on March 13, 2025. For a city at the base of the mountains, these brief cool-season spin-ups, rather than Plains-style outbreaks, are what tornado weather looks like around Pasadena.