Tulare, CA Tornado History — 19 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Tulare, CA had?
Tulare has had 19 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Tulare?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Tulare was an EF0 on March 22, 2018.
When is tornado season in Tulare?
March is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Tulare, with 6 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 Tulare
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 3 total, averaging 0.1 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Tulare 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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 Tulare. 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 Tulare been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Tulare from any of the 19 tornadoes since 1950, though 3 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Tulare
About Tornadoes in Tulare
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.
Tulare sits on the flat agricultural floor of the San Joaquin Valley in Tulare County, California, and its tornadoes are creatures of the cool season, spun up when Pacific storm systems push unstable air across the valley. Touchdowns near the city have generally been brief and low-end, most of them over the dairies and cropland that surround it between midwinter and spring, with occasional autumn events such as an F1 on November 1, 1964, an F0 on October 12, 1991, and an EF0 on November 9, 2012.
The area has also seen genuinely destructive weather. On April 5, 1980, an F2 tornado tracked roughly 15 miles through the countryside near Tulare along a path only about 10 yards wide, injuring one person and causing $275,000 in property damage.
Weaker tornadoes have recurred across the decades: F1s on March 29, 1982, and March 1, 1991; F0 touchdowns through the wet winters and springs of 1986, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997; another F0 on October 20, 2004; and, more recently, EF0s on January 27, 2008, and March 22, 2018. For Tulare and its neighboring farm towns the pattern holds steady — tornado weather here rides the winter and spring storm track, usually delivering short-lived, low-intensity twisters, though April 1980 shows the valley can produce something considerably more damaging.