Tornado in Arizona
Every tornado event the National Weather Service has filed in Arizona, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
The most significant on the map
The most significant tornado episodes in Arizona.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 306
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 152
- Damage
- $50 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arizona, September 25 to 27, 2025A slow-moving low pressure system brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms over multiple days through much of the region. Activity on the 25th was mostly concentrated across higher terrain areas of eastern AZ, fueled by MLCAPE values approaching 2000 J/kg.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arizona, July 5 to 29, 1999Three U.S. Forest Service firefighters were stunned or paralyzed for a few minutes as lightning hit the ground near them. They also suffered some burns on the feet and shoulders.
- Tornadoes in Arizona, June 23, 1974
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Arizona, August 30, 1971
- Tornado in Arizona, August 27, 1964
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arizona, October 6, 2010A strong low pressure center over California pushed abundant moisture over Arizona producing widespread thunderstorms with numerous severe storms. Strong vertical wind shear...with helicity in the 400-450 range...also provided an environment for supercell development.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arizona, June 21, 1972
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arizona, September 2 to 13, 1997Flash Flooding of Bright Angel Creek caused minor flooding in the Bright Angel Campground.
- Tornado in Arizona, January 17, 1993Eighteen homes sustained damage, 4 with major damage, many trees and signs blown over by tornado. Most damage occurred when the tornado moved east from 59th and Clinton to 72nd and Cholla.
- Tornado in Arizona, August 4, 1957
- Tornado in Arizona, August 10, 1972
- Tornado and Hail in Arizona, July 28, 1994A tornado touched down on the Hill Top area of northwest Tucson. The tornado travelled in a west-northwest direction, and its width varied from about a yard to 50 yards. The 7700 blocks of Soledad and Redwing Circle were particularly hit hard.
- Tornado in Arizona, October 3, 1968
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arizona, September 12 to 13, 2025A very active monsoon period occurred September 12th and September 13th across Southeastern Arizona. Strong to severe thunderstorms began in the late morning on September 12th and continued through the overnight hours of September 13th.
- Tornado and Hail in Arizona, September 15, 1999For the second day in a row, vertical wind shear combined with monsoon moisture to produce several instances of severe weather. Hail did significant damage in Prescott Valley and in Dewey, with newspaper accounts indicate widespread damage to cars and skylights.
- Tornado in Arizona, August 17, 1959
- Tornado and Dust Storm in Arizona, September 23, 2019An upper level low and tropical moisture created favorable conditions for severe weather with isolated to scattered storms forming during the evening mainly from Tucson eastward.
- Tornado and Hail in Arizona, September 10, 1972
- Tornado in Arizona, July 6, 1992
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Arizona, August 5, 1993Strong winds from nearby thunderstorms exceeded 50 mph in many areas of the Valley. Homes and businesses sustained damage, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed. Arizona Public Service reported 10,000 customers without power.
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Arizona, July 4, 1968
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arizona, October 24, 1992
- Tornadoes in Arizona, September 5, 1981
- Tornado in Arizona, August 9, 1966
- Tornado in Arizona, September 14, 1971
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.