Wind events in San Mateo County, California The wind events on record, by date and by year
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 31 wind events on record for San Mateo County, California, from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026.
The newest wind event on record is on 25 Dec 2025.
From 2016 through 2025, NCEI has 15 wind events on record for the county.
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 .
Date of the data: NCEI storm events through . Event types on this page: Thunderstorm Wind, High Wind, Strong Wind.
Newest wind events on record
Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile N of EL GRANADA
Thunderstorm Wind72 mph (63 knots, measured gust)
At (SFO)SFO INTL ARPT
Thunderstorm Wind61 mph (53 knots, measured gust)
1 mile SW of COLMA
Thunderstorm Wind62 mph (54 knots, measured gust)
1 mile S of HALF MOON BAY ARPT
Thunderstorm Wind67 mph (58 knots, measured gust)
1 mile SW of PEDRO VLY
Thunderstorm Wind96 mph (83 knots, estimated gust)
8 miles S of BUTANO PARK. Damage estimate: $10
Thunderstorm Wind97 mph (84 knots, measured gust)
1 mile W of SHARP PARK
Thunderstorm Wind83 mph (72 knots, measured gust)
At (SFO)SFO INTL ARPT
Thunderstorm Wind30 mph (26 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile NE of SAN CARLOS. Damage estimate: $10
Thunderstorm Wind70 mph (61 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile NW of BAYSHORE
Thunderstorm Wind69 mph (60 knots, measured gust)
1 mile E of (SFO)SFO INTL ARPT
Thunderstorm Wind63 mph (55 knots, measured gust)
1 mile S of PACIFICA
Thunderstorm Wind70 mph (61 knots, estimated gust)
9 miles SSE of BUTANO PARK
Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)
9 miles SSE of BUTANO PARK
Thunderstorm Wind30 mph (26 knots, estimated gust)
At ATHERTON. Damage estimate: $10 thousand
Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, measured gust)
3 miles ESE of PEDRO VLY
Thunderstorm Wind59 mph (51 knots, measured gust)
At (SFO)SFO INTL ARPT
High Wind68 mph (59 knots, measured gust)
On record for the forecast zone
High Wind68 mph (59 knots, measured gust)
On record for the forecast zone
High Wind69 mph (60 knots, measured gust)
On record for the forecast zone
Thunderstorm Wind69 mph (60 knots, estimated gust)
At EAST PALO ALTO. Damage estimate: $50 thousand
High Wind70 mph (61 knots, measured gust)
On record for the forecast zone
High Wind71 mph (62 knots)
On record for the forecast zone
High Wind54 mph (47 knots)
On record for the forecast zone
High Wind63 mph (55 knots)
On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $550 thousand
A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives.
Wind events by year
| Decade | Year that ends in 0 | Year that ends in 1 | Year that ends in 2 | Year that ends in 3 | Year that ends in 4 | Year that ends in 5 | Year that ends in 6 | Year that ends in 7 | Year that ends in 8 | Year that ends in 9 | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980s | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2000s | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2020s | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 (part of the year) | 12 |
A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.
Thunderstorm wind events are on record from 1955. High wind and strong wind events are on record from 1996. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.
By month, all years
- Jan7 events
- Feb3 events
- Mar2 events
- Apr1 event
- May0 events
- Jun0 events
- Jul0 events
- Aug1 event
- Sep0 events
- Oct2 events
- Nov4 events
- Dec11 events
Magnitudes on record
| Wind speed | Level | Events |
|---|---|---|
| under 58 mph | below severe threshold | 5 |
| 58 to 73 mph | severe | 22 |
| 74 to 95 mph | hurricane-force | 3 |
| 96 mph and over | extreme | 1 |
Magnitude for wind speeds (e.g., 81 kts, where 1 kt = 1.152 mph) can be estimated by damage caused or measured by official NWS-approved calibrated anemometers. Common measurement types include Measured Gust (MG), Measured Sustained (MS), Estimated Gust (EG), or Estimated Sustained (ES).
The table has the events with a speed in the record. NCEI gives the speed in knots; 1 knot is 1.151 miles per hour.
Beside the other counties
| Measure | San Mateo | All counties of California | All counties of the United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind events, 1955 to 2026 | 31 | 1,890 | 637,939 |
| Events for each 100 square miles | 6.9 | 1.2 | 18.1 |
| Events for each 10,000 residents | 0.4 | 0.5 | 19.2 |
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. A forecast zone with another name than a county counts for the state only.
More wind events on record
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Damage estimate | Deaths | Injuries | On record for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 71 mph | $1.0 million | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| High Wind | 82 mph | $250 thousand | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| High Wind | 63 mph | none | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| High Wind | 58 mph | $100 thousand | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 68 mph | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | none | 0 | 0 | County |
The table has all other events on record. A damage figure is an estimate in the NCEI record.
Official channels
- NCEI Storm Events Database (opens in a new tab)Search the full NCEI record by state, county and date.
- National Weather Service: San Francisco Bay Area, CA (opens in a new tab)The forecast office that issues the weather warnings for the county.
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address (opens in a new tab)Search an address to see its flood map. This site has no flood-zone data.
These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .
Cite this page
County Hazards. "Wind events on record for San Mateo County, California". https://countyhazards.com/county/ca/san-mateo/wind/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026. Page made on .
Questions
- Which month has the most wind events on record for San Mateo County?
- December has 11 of the 31 wind events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026.
- How many wind events are on record for California?
- NCEI has 10,880 wind events on record for California from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. That count has every forecast zone of the state.
- How does San Mateo County compare with the other counties of California?
- The counties of California have 1.2 wind events for each 100 square miles. San Mateo County has 6.9.
- How fast is the wind on record for San Mateo County?
- 26 wind events have a speed of 58 mph or more. 4 events have a speed of 74 mph or more.