UFO Sightings in California
15,215 UFO sightings reported in California since 1935, peaking in 2014 (869 reports); most often described as light.
- Total sightings
- 15,215
- Span
- 1935–2028
- Peak year
- 2014 (869 reports)
- Dominant shape
- Light
1935–2028 · peak 2014 (869 reports)
Top cities in California
Los Angeles
1942–2022 · peak 2007 (29 reports)
San Diego
1944–2022 · peak 2007 (32 reports)
Sacramento
1956–2022 · peak 2012 (26 reports)
San Jose
1947–2022 · peak 2012 (21 reports)
San Francisco
1956–2021 · peak 2008 (26 reports)
Fresno
1953–2022 · peak 2014 (18 reports)
Long Beach
1957–2022 · peak 2017 (13 reports)
Bakersfield
1961–2022 · peak 1995 (13 reports)
Santa Rosa
1955–2022 · peak 2015 (10 reports)
Santa Barbara
1968–2022 · peak 2020 (12 reports)
Riverside
1976–2020 · peak 2008 (11 reports)
Modesto
1947–2021 · peak 2009 (13 reports)
Redding
1986–2022 · peak 2012 (10 reports)
Burbank
1981–2021 · peak 2003 (24 reports)
Huntington Beach
1945–2020 · peak 2012 (8 reports)
Anaheim
1963–2020 · peak 2015 (12 reports)
Ventura
1967–2021 · peak 2012 (13 reports)
El Cajon
1969–2022 · peak 2014 (14 reports)
Irvine
1980–2022 · peak 2007 (18 reports)
Oakland
1968–2022 · peak 2003 (6 reports)
Orangevale · CA, USA
A witness near Orangevale, California reported being followed by a single unexplained light near Sacramento in May 1964, in a sighting lasting about five minutes.
Covina · CA, USA
A witness in Covina, California described a slowly rotating, metallic, cigar-shaped object flying at low altitude during daylight in May 1964, lasting about five minutes.
Covina/West Covina · CA, USA
A witness in Covina, California reported a tumbling, cigar-shaped object on May 15, 1964, corroborating an earlier account, in a sighting that lasted about 10 minutes.
Cherry Valley · CA, USA
A young girl in Cherry Valley, California reported waking to lights and seeing a circular object in March 1964, in a sighting lasting about 20 minutes.
El Cerrito (over Old Berkeley dump) · CA, USA
A witness near the old Berkeley dump in El Cerrito, California reported a fireball in the sky in January 1964, lasting about two minutes, with no air crashes reported that night.
Compton · CA, USA
A witness in Compton, California described an intense, quick photoflash-like light in August 1963, in a sighting recorded as lasting about 20 minutes.
Fresno · CA, USA
A witness in Fresno, California reported what initially appeared to be a star exhibiting unusual behavior in the night sky, in a sighting lasting about 30 minutes in August 1963.
Santa Ana · CA, USA
siteing of a strange object.
San Francisco · CA, USA
A man in San Francisco, California reported an unusual disk-shaped object experience in 1963 when he was 22 years old, an account he later shared with a friend.
Laguna Beach (south) · CA, USA
USO(s) - Unidentified Submerged Object(s) -- yeh! I know guys! You probably only care about lights in the sky! But hey I'm not the only
Rodeo · CA, USA
A witness in Rodeo, California reported a blue, humming, vibrating spherical object indoors, describing repeated encounters of about five minutes each in June 1963.
Sacramento · CA, USA
Front Porch
Anaheim · CA, USA
A witness in Anaheim, California described a disk-shaped object roughly 50 feet in diameter that made no noise and stayed stationary overhead, in a sighting lasting 20 minutes or more in June 1963.
Lompoc/Vandenberg AFB · CA, USA
Witnesses near Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, California reported a disk-shaped object over a mountain during a Scout missile launch in April 1963, lasting about five minutes.
Markleville (Alpine County) · CA, USA
Students at an elementary school in Alpine County, California reported a disk-shaped object at an estimated altitude of 40 feet in January 1963, in a sighting lasting about one minute.
Alameda Naval Air Station/Marine Corp Air Wing Bubble · CA, USA
Ufo Collision with Marine Corp Fighter
San Francisco · CA, USA
My personal UFO sighting
Granada Hills · CA, USA
In 1962, a witness in Granada Hills, California, reported a ping-pong-ball-sized floating sphere observed through a window in the San Fernando Valley, for four to five seconds.
Cadiz · CA, USA
We saw a silver brushed sillhoutte about the size of a person floating about 1-2 ft above the ground with no features of any sort.
Bay Area · CA, USA
In 1962, a witness in the Bay Area of California reported a large disk-shaped craft hovering in the sky, remaining visible for about half an hour.
La Habra · CA, USA
In 1962, a witness in La Habra, California, reported a series of small lights moving one after another from the west toward the southeast, over about 20 minutes.
Bakersfield · CA, USA
In 1961, a witness in Bakersfield, California, reported a round, red glowing object in the night sky that changed colors and appeared to be at low altitude, for about ten minutes.
Mill Valley · CA, USA
Clear view of a "flying saucer".
La Mirada · CA, USA
Everyone in my family remembers the nightly sightings of 5 orange cigar shaped objects that appeared in the sky over several days in th
Lancaster · CA, USA
Brilliant,silver disk. 50 to 55 degree angle of sight. Appears to be stationary in sky.Smaller object 1/8 the size of larger,same color