Can hurricanes happen in california?

But while a hurricane is highly unlikely to make landfall in California, it's not impossible. In fact, there was one in 1858 that became known as the San Diego Hurricane. Southern California has only been hit by an intact hurricane once in recorded history. That hurricane approached San Diego on October 2, 1858, as a Category 1 storm with 80 mph winds.

There are many factors that need to be considered for a hurricane to occur. In short, wind direction and cold water are the main reasons why we don't see hurricanes in California.