Tornadoes · United States · Arizona

Tornadoes in Apache County, Arizona

17 tornadoes have crossed Apache County since 1950, 9th of the 14 counties in Arizona with a tornado on record, an average of one every 4.5 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 0. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
17
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF0, September 13, 2022

Every year with a tornado

The 14 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Apache County. Each year links to every tornado in Arizona that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
20221EF0
20211EF0
20151EF0
20102EF0
20091EF0
20081EF0
20061F0
20053F0
20031F0
19791F0
19741F0
19621F0
19571F0

Every tornado that crossed Apache County

17 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 4, 202510:00 AM MSTUnratedApache0.550
September 13, 20225:45 PM MSTEF0Apache7.710
June 17, 20213:31 PM MSTEF0Apache0.110
October 20, 20151:00 PM MSTEF0Apache6.910
October 21, 20104:34 PM MSTEF0Apache0.820
August 3, 20105:15 PM MSTEF0Apache1.040
May 22, 20092:30 PM MSTEF0Apache1.010
September 3, 200812:02 PM MSTEF0Apache0.540
August 30, 200611:00 AM MSTF0Apache1.010
July 25, 20051:53 PM MSTF0Apache1.010
July 16, 20054:54 PM MSTF0Apache1.010
July 16, 20054:30 PM MSTF0Apache1.010
September 9, 20036:50 PM MSTF0Apache1.0100
August 14, 19795:24 PM MSTF0Apache1.050
October 27, 19749:15 AM MSTF0Apache0.233
October 17, 196211:20 AM GMT-7F0Apache0.110
April 29, 19572:15 PM GMT-7F0Apache2.5120

Nearby

Warnings in force in Apache CountyThe forecast for Apache CountyThe live radar over Apache CountyEvery county in Arizona

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.