Tornado History

Santa Cruz Tornado History

This county-level tornado history page focuses on Santa Cruz, California. The records below identify 8 tornadoes from 1965 through 2024, including a highest listed rating of F1 (Moderate damage). NOAA damage estimates in this group total at least $343K, with 0 deaths and 5 injuries recorded across the listed events.

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8recorded tornadoes
F1 (Moderate damage)highest rating
$343Kminimum property damage
December 14, 2024latest tornado
1.07 milongest listed path
100 ydwidest listed path

Historical Track Sketch

F1 December 20, 20012001EF1 December 14, 20242024F1 April 1, 19651965F0 December 5, 19981998EF0 December 22, 20122012F0 February 3, 19861986EF0 January 6, 20192019EF0 January 6, 20192019© OpenStreetMap contributors

Rating Breakdown

  • F1 (Moderate damage)2
  • EF1 (Moderate damage)1
  • F0 (Light damage)2
  • EF0 (Light damage)3

Most Active Years

  • 20192
  • 19651
  • 19861
  • 19981
  • 20011
  • 20121
  • 20241

Notable Tornado Records

The table highlights the strongest and most damaging records in this page's local dataset. Damage totals are NOAA-reported minimum estimates where available.

DateRatingAreaLengthWidthDeathsInjuriesMin. property damage
December 20, 2001F1Santa Cruz, California0.5 mi60 yd00$250K
December 14, 2024EF1Santa Cruz, California0.31 mi30 yd05$10
April 1, 1965F1Santa Cruz, California0.1 mi100 yd00N/A
December 5, 1998F0Santa Cruz, California1 mi100 yd00$50K
December 22, 2012EF0Santa Cruz, California1.07 mi20 yd00$40K
February 3, 1986F0Santa Cruz, California0.2 mi50 yd00$2K
January 6, 2019EF0Santa Cruz, California0.07 mi6.67 yd00N/A
January 6, 2019EF0Santa Cruz, California0.54 mi6.67 yd00N/A

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Source And Limits

Data source: NOAA/NCEI. TornadoTrace summarizes historical records for screening and research. Coordinates, damage estimates, narratives, and event details can be approximate, incomplete, revised, or missing. Do not use this page as legal, insurance, engineering, real estate, emergency management, or safety advice.