Wind events in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara County, California, from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026.
The newest wind event on record is on 18 Feb 2026.
From 2016 through 2025, NCEI has 10 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 Wind64 mph (56 knots, measured gust)
1 mile W of CONCEPCION
Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, measured gust)
20 miles W of (SZN)SANTA CRUZ IS
Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, measured gust)
2 miles E of (SZN)SANTA CRUZ IS
Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, measured gust)
2 miles ENE of WAVE
Thunderstorm Wind59 mph (51 knots, measured gust)
The site does not show the place text of this record
Thunderstorm Wind59 mph (51 knots, measured gust)
4 miles N of EL ENCANTO
Thunderstorm Wind61 mph (53 knots, measured gust)
7 miles ENE of SISQUOC
Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)
2 miles W of MONTECITO
Thunderstorm Wind61 mph (53 knots, measured gust)
4 miles N of EL ENCANTO
Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, measured gust)
4 miles NNW of ORELLA
Thunderstorm Wind62 mph (54 knots, measured gust)
2 miles ENE of SUDDEN
Thunderstorm Wind55 mph (48 knots, estimated gust)
2 miles S of SANTA BARBARA. Damage estimate: $2 thousand
Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile SSE of BUELLTON
Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)
8 miles NE of LOS OLIVOS
Thunderstorm Wind49 mph (43 knots, estimated gust)
2 miles NNW of SUMMERLAND. Damage estimate: $5 thousand
Thunderstorm Wind49 mph (43 knots, estimated gust)
At MONTECITO. Damage estimate: $5 thousand
Thunderstorm Wind49 mph (43 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile E of MONTECITO. Damage estimate: $5 thousand
Thunderstorm Wind49 mph (43 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile N of MONTECITO. Damage estimate: $5 thousand
Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, measured gust)
2 miles NE of SUDDEN
Thunderstorm Wind78 mph (68 knots, measured gust)
3 miles NNW of MONTECITO
Thunderstorm Wind81 mph (70 knots, measured gust)
1 mile S of SANTA BARBARA
Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, measured gust)
At VANDENBERG AFB
Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile S of SANTA BARBARA
Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots)
At VANDENBERG AFB
Thunderstorm Wind71 mph (62 knots)
At GUADALUPE
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 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2000s | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2020s | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 11 (part of the year) | 20 |
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
- Jan2 events
- Feb15 events
- Mar6 events
- Apr0 events
- May0 events
- Jun0 events
- Jul0 events
- Aug0 events
- Sep1 event
- Oct3 events
- Nov2 events
- Dec2 events
Magnitudes on record
| Wind speed | Level | Events |
|---|---|---|
| under 58 mph | below severe threshold | 11 |
| 58 to 73 mph | severe | 16 |
| 74 to 95 mph | hurricane-force | 4 |
| 96 mph and over | extreme | 0 |
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 | Santa Barbara | 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 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 18.1 |
| Events for each 10,000 residents | 0.7 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 77 mph | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 78 mph | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 60 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: Los Angeles, 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 Santa Barbara County, California". https://countyhazards.com/county/ca/santa-barbara/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 Santa Barbara County?
- February has 15 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 Santa Barbara County compare with the other counties of California?
- The counties of California have 1.2 wind events for each 100 square miles. Santa Barbara County has 1.1.
- How fast is the wind on record for Santa Barbara County?
- 20 wind events have a speed of 58 mph or more. 4 events have a speed of 74 mph or more.