County Hazards

Storm events on record through

San Bernardino County, California Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).

NCEI has 1,642 storm events on record for San Bernardino County, California, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a thunderstorm wind event on 19 Feb 2026.

FEMA has 61 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is FM-5537 of 11 Sep 2024.

OpenFEMA has 864 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $10 million on these claims.

The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.

The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.

Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for San Bernardino County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for San Bernardino County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail6723179
Tornado33640
Flood996210426303
Wind199375148
Winter0000None on record
Other event types347Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events1,642400581477

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of San Bernardino County beside the total of the counties of California and of the United States
MeasureSan BernardinoAll counties of CaliforniaAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 20268.29.649.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 20267.53.852.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 202563.152.5185.3

The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile SW of BIG BEAR CITY

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

At BLUE JAY

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles ESE of SUGARLOAF

Flash Flood

2 miles SE of KEENBROOK

Heavy Rain

2 miles SE of SCOTLAND

Flood

2 miles SE of KEENBROOK

Flood

2 miles NW of WRIGHTWOOD. Damage estimate: $3.0 million

Flood

4 miles S of PHELAN

Flood

At KEENBROOK. Damage estimate: $1.5 million

Flood

2 miles NNE of WRIGHTWOOD

Flash Flood

1 mile N of SCOTLAND

Flash Flood

1 mile SW of DEVORE

Flash Flood

3 miles N of MT BALDY

Flash Flood

1 mile S of CAJON

Flash Flood

2 miles E of PINON HILLS

Flood

1 mile SW of CEDAR GLEN

Flash Flood

2 miles NW of KLINEFELTER. Damage estimate: $20 thousand

Flash Flood

2 miles NE of JAVA. Damage estimate: $1 thousand

Flash Flood

1 mile SSW of ARROWHEAD JCT. Damage estimate: $1 thousand

Flood

2 miles W of SOUTH FONTANA

Heavy Rain

2 miles WNW of MT BALDY

Heavy Rain

3 miles NNE of ALTA LOMA

Flood

1 mile WSW of GROMMET. Damage estimate: $100

Flash Flood

4 miles NNE of (NXP)MCAF TWENTYNINE. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Flash Flood

2 miles SSW of WESTEND. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for San Bernardino County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s00001002104
1960s00000130004
1970s403023810021
1980s112124331119
1990s6314105373643136
2000s32553954579115192414400
2010s53436548908454396243581
2020s175914510349986 (part of the year)477

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 61 disaster declarations on record for San Bernardino County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is FM-5537: BRIDGE FIRE.

Disaster declarations that name San Bernardino County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
FM-5537Fire management assistanceFireBRIDGE FIREPublic
FM-5535Fire management assistanceFireLINE FIREPublic
DR-4699Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESIndividual, Public
EM-3592EmergencyFloodSEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESPublic
EM-3591EmergencyFloodSEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDESPublic
FM-5381Fire management assistanceFireBLUE RIDGE FIREPublic
DR-4569Major disasterFireWILDFIRESIndividual, Public
FM-5350Fire management assistanceFireEL DORADO FIREPublic
FM-5325Fire management assistanceFireAPPLE FIREPublic
DR-4482Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3428EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
FM-5301Fire management assistanceFireHILLSIDE FIREPublic
EM-3415EmergencyEarthquakeEARTHQUAKESPublic
FM-5147Fire management assistanceFireBLUE CUT FIREPublic
FM-5144Fire management assistanceFirePILOT FIREPublic
FM-5089Fire management assistanceFireNORTH FIREPublic
FM-2955Fire management assistanceFireHILL FIREPublic
DR-1952Major disasterFloodSEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND DEBRIS AND MUD FLOWSPublic
DR-1884Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND DEBRIS AND MUD FLOWSPublic
FM-2841Fire management assistanceFireSHEEP FIREPublic
FM-2836Fire management assistanceFirePENDLETON FIREPublic
FM-2833Fire management assistanceFireOAK GLEN FIREPublic
FM-2792Fire management assistanceFireFREEWAY FIRE COMPLEXPublic
DR-1731Major disasterFireWILDFIRES, FLOODING, MUD FLOWS, AND DEBRIS FLOWSIndividual, Public
EM-3279EmergencyFireWILDFIRESPublic
FM-2738Fire management assistanceFireGRASS VALLEY FIREPublic
FM-2728Fire management assistanceFireBUTLER 2 FIREPublic
DR-1689Major disasterFreezingSEVERE FREEZEIndividual
FM-2653Fire management assistanceFireSAWTOOTH FIRE COMPLEXPublic
EM-3248EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATIONPublic
DR-1585Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWSPublic
DR-1577Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, DEBRIS FLOWS, AND MUDSLIDESIndividual, Public
DR-1498Major disasterFireWILDFIRES, FLOODING, MUDFLOW AND DEBRIS FLOW DIRECTLY RELATED TIndividual, Public
FM-2503Fire management assistanceFireOLD FIREPublic
FM-2501Fire management assistanceFireCA-GRAND PRIX FIRE-10-23-2003Public
FM-2497Fire management assistanceFireCA-BRIDGE FIRE-09-05-2003Public
FM-2491Fire management assistanceFireCA-LOCUST WILDFIRE-08-19-2003Public
FM-2464Fire management assistanceFireWILLIAMS FIREPublic
FM-2433Fire management assistanceFireLOUISIANA FIREPublic
FM-2425Fire management assistanceFireBLUECUT FIREPublic
EM-3140EmergencyFireCA-WILDFIRES-08/25/1999Individual, Public
DR-1203Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-1046Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOWIndividual, Public
DR-1044Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOWSIndividual, Public
DR-1005Major disasterFireFIRES, MUD/LANDSLIDES, FLOODING, SOIL EROSIONIndividual, Public
DR-979Major disasterFloodSEVERE WINTER STORM, MUD & LAND SLIDES, & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-947Major disasterEarthquakeEARTHQUAKE & AFTERSHOCKSIndividual, Public
DR-935Major disasterFloodRAIN/SNOW/WIND STORMS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDESIndividual, Public
DR-894Major disasterFreezingSEVERE FREEZEIndividual
DR-872Major disasterFireFIRESIndividual
DR-690Major disasterFloodFLASH FLOODINGPublic
DR-687Major disasterFloodFLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-677Major disasterCoastal StormCOASTAL STORMS, FLOODS, SLIDES & TORNADOESIndividual
DR-635Major disasterFireBRUSH & TIMBER FIRESIndividual, Public
DR-615Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS, MUDSLIDES & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-547Major disasterFloodCOASTAL STORMS, MUDSLIDES & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-521Major disasterFloodFLOODING, TROPICAL STORM KATHLEENIndividual, Public
DR-295Major disasterFireFOREST & BRUSH FIRESIndividual, Public
DR-253Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-223Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-211Major disasterFloodHEAVY RAINS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the California page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 864 NFIP claims on record for San Bernardino County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The NFIP paid $10,239,885 on 545 claims.

The county has 63.1 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 121 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 1,919 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.

NFIP claims in San Bernardino County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s12517
1980s110132354403341215
1990s5633492174174432209
2000s83545227988242204
2010s59448149616310133
2020s3813168380 (part of the year)86

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 47 years
NFIP claims in San Bernardino County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
20253826$1,358,650
20248not shownnot shown
2023168$473,339
2022138$879,406
202186$123,074
20203not shownnot shown
2019108$157,855
20183not shownnot shown
2017169$218,282
20166not shownnot shown
20159not shownnot shown
2014148$139,540
201385$82,191
20124not shownnot shown
20114not shownnot shown
20105938$1,024,266
20092not shownnot shown
20082419$266,404
200785$72,656
200688$110,061
20057960$902,675
20042213$172,541
20034533$706,193
20025not shownnot shown
20013not shownnot shown
20008not shownnot shown
19993230$757,946
19984429$218,066
1997177$122,735
19964not shownnot shown
19951711$106,196
19942not shownnot shown
19934932$175,243
19923324$217,338
19916not shownnot shown
19905not shownnot shown
19891not shownnot shown
19884not shownnot shown
19873not shownnot shown
19863not shownnot shown
19844not shownnot shown
19835424$102,824
1982239$65,002
1981137$7,599
198011069$741,763
19795not shownnot shown
1978126$10,376

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. FEMA counts 44 multiple-loss properties in the county (2 Aug 2026). How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Very High
Risk Index score
99.8 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Very High
Expected Annual Loss
$2.1 billion
Social Vulnerability rating
Relatively Low
Community Resilience rating
Relatively Low
National Risk Index of San Bernardino County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
AvalancheRelatively Low$143,645
Cold waveRelatively Low$391,670
DroughtRelatively Low$36,916
EarthquakeVery High$921,834,870
HailRelatively Moderate$1,932,407
Heat waveRelatively High$17,575,520
Inland floodingVery High$959,579,794
LandslideVery High$18,032,011
LightningRelatively High$1,994,319
Strong windRelatively High$3,968,796
TornadoRelatively Moderate$3,809,703
Volcanic activityVery Low$3
WildfireVery High$145,737,649
Winter weatherRelatively Low$62,486

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center goes through the 2025 season. It has no track at tropical storm strength within 100 miles of the centre point of San Bernardino County.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of San Bernardino County

Each ZIP Code below has a page with its NFIP claims by year. 23 more ZIP Codes have fewer than 5 claims and no page.

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Adelanto
  • Apple Valley
  • Baker
  • Barstow
  • Big Bear City
  • Big Bear Lake
  • Big River
  • Bloomington
  • Bluewater
  • Chino
  • Chino Hills
  • Colton
  • Crestline
  • Fontana
  • Fort Irwin
  • Grand Terrace
  • Hesperia
  • Highland
  • Homestead Valley
  • Joshua Tree
  • Lake Arrowhead
  • Lenwood
  • Loma Linda
  • Lucerne Valley
  • Lytle Creek
  • Mentone
  • Montclair
  • Morongo Valley
  • Mountain View Acres
  • Muscoy
  • Needles
  • Oak Glen
  • Oak Hills
  • Ontario
  • Phelan
  • Piñon Hills
  • Rancho Cucamonga
  • Redlands
  • Rialto
  • Running Springs
  • San Antonio Heights
  • San Bernardino
  • Searles Valley
  • Silver Lakes
  • Spring Valley Lake
  • Twentynine Palms
  • Upland
  • Victorville
  • Wrightwood
  • Yermo
  • Yucaipa
  • Yucca Valley

Official channels

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .

Cite this page

County Hazards. "San Bernardino County, California: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/ca/san-bernardino/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for San Bernardino County?
NCEI has 33 tornado events on record for San Bernardino County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. 2 events have a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
How large is the hail on record for San Bernardino County?
NCEI has 67 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 8 events have a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for San Bernardino County?
August has 446 of the 1,642 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in San Bernardino County?
The county has 63.1 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 121 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 1,919 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.