Tornadoes · United States · Arizona

Tornadoes in Maricopa County, Arizona

75 tornadoes have crossed Maricopa County since 1950, 1st of the 14 counties in Arizona with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.0 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 58. 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
75
Deaths
0
Injuries
58
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, August 4, 1957

The strongest

  1. F3, Maricopa County, ArizonaAugust 4, 1957F3, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  2. F2, Maricopa County, ArizonaJune 21, 1972F2, 13.5 mi (22 km)
  3. F2, Maricopa County, ArizonaAugust 30, 1971F2, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  4. F2, Maricopa County, ArizonaJanuary 17, 1993F2, 2.1 mi (3 km)
  5. F2, Maricopa County, ArizonaSeptember 14, 1971F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  6. F2, Maricopa County, ArizonaOctober 3, 1968F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  7. F2, Maricopa County, ArizonaJuly 4, 1968F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 34 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Maricopa County. Each year links to every tornado in Arizona that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF0
20201EF0
20197EF0
20181EF0
20171EF0
20151EF0
20141EF0
201011EF1
20031F0
19952F1
19942F0
19933F2
19927F1
19901F0
19891F0
19871F0
19841F1
19832F1
19821F0
19812F1
19771F1
19763F1
19741F1
197274F2
1971441F2
19702F1
196922F1
196838F2
19672F1
196122F1
19583F0
19572F3
19562F1
19551F1

Every tornado that crossed Maricopa County

75 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 18, 20254:23 PM MSTEF0Maricopa1.130$50,000
September 27, 20254:30 PM MSTUnratedMaricopa0.130
April 2, 202511:00 AM MSTUnratedMaricopa0.55
July 24, 20204:00 PM MSTEF0Maricopa0.450
November 29, 20194:51 AM MSTEF0Maricopa3.6100$80,000
November 29, 20194:41 AM MSTEF0Maricopa4.5100$25,000
November 29, 20193:54 AM MSTEF0Maricopa8.8200$100,000
November 29, 20193:49 AM MSTEF0Maricopa10.1100$40,000
September 25, 20196:23 PM MSTEF0Maricopa0.750
September 23, 201912:06 PM MSTEF0Maricopa1.0100$20,000
July 30, 20194:30 PM MSTEF0Maricopa0.950
October 23, 20184:15 PM MSTEF0Maricopa3.7100
August 3, 20175:05 PM MSTEF0Maricopa0.3100
October 6, 201512:34 PM MSTEF0Maricopa0.650
March 1, 201412:40 PM MSTEF0Maricopa0.5100$50,000
July 29, 20105:10 PM MSTEF1Maricopa1.4401
February 28, 200312:15 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.520
July 14, 19952:40 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.110
February 13, 19954:08 PM MSTF1Maricopa0.510$500,000 to $5 million
March 7, 19941:28 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.210$500 to $5,000
February 8, 19942:18 PM MSTF0Maricopa1.020$5,000 to $50,000
February 8, 19937:04 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.520$500 to $5,000
January 18, 19931:25 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.510
January 17, 19931:30 PM MSTF2Maricopa2.150$500,000 to $5 million
May 23, 19924:40 PM MSTF1Maricopa0.520$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19924:18 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.510$50 to $500
February 13, 19923:45 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.520$5,000 to $50,000
February 13, 19922:50 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.520
February 13, 19921:55 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.520$500 to $5,000
January 6, 19923:30 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.520$5,000 to $50,000
January 6, 19923:08 PM MSTF1Maricopa1.230$5,000 to $50,000
September 3, 19906:10 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.220
January 4, 198912:00 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.520$5,000 to $50,000
August 29, 19873:35 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.110$50 to $500
August 9, 19848:00 PM MSTF1Maricopa0.530$50,000 to $500,000
August 16, 19835:30 PM MSTF1Maricopa0.330$50,000 to $500,000
August 8, 19835:18 PM MSTF1Maricopa0.220$5,000 to $50,000
August 12, 19823:14 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.530under $50
September 5, 19817:20 PM MSTF1Maricopa1.030$50,000 to $500,000
September 5, 19813:27 PM MSTF1Maricopa1.040$50,000 to $500,000
March 25, 197712:55 PM MSTF1Maricopa1.020
May 4, 19763:03 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.117
May 4, 19762:15 PM MSTF1Maricopa2.033
May 4, 19762:15 PM MSTF0Maricopa2.013
August 24, 19748:05 PM MSTF1Maricopa0.110$500 to $5,000
September 10, 19727:05 PM MSTF1Maricopa1.87001$500,000 to $5 million
August 12, 19728:00 PM MSTF1Maricopa0.317under $50
July 23, 19725:30 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.110under $50
June 21, 19726:30 PM MSTF2Maricopa13.5103$5 million to $50 million
June 21, 19725:05 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.110
June 21, 19723:53 PM MSTF0Pinal17.810$5,000 to $50,000
June 13, 19727:33 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.310$5,000 to $50,000
October 18, 19711:40 PM MSTF1Maricopa0.550$5,000 to $50,000
September 14, 19717:15 PM MSTF2Maricopa0.127$5,000 to $50,000
September 1, 19715:20 PM MSTF1Pinal32.410$50,000 to $500,000
August 30, 19715:45 PM MSTF2Maricopa4.740041$500,000 to $5 million
September 5, 19704:00 PM MSTF1Maricopa2.3100$5,000 to $50,000
July 19, 19707:25 PM MSTF0Maricopa0.110
August 1, 196911:45 PM GMT-7F1Maricopa0.1102$5,000 to $50,000
February 22, 19691:45 PM GMT-7F0Maricopa0.110
October 3, 19687:00 PM GMT-7F2Maricopa0.1503$50,000 to $500,000
July 20, 19688:30 PM GMT-7F1Maricopa0.1333$5,000 to $50,000
July 4, 19685:30 PM GMT-7F2Maricopa0.1332$5,000 to $50,000
December 19, 19675:30 PM GMT-7F1Maricopa0.333$5,000 to $50,000
July 29, 196710:55 PM GMT-6F1Maricopa0.110$5,000 to $50,000
September 8, 19611:30 PM GMT-7F1Maricopa11.8102$50,000 to $500,000
July 22, 19616:15 PM GMT-7F1Maricopa0.110$5,000 to $50,000
September 24, 195810:15 AM GMT-7F0Maricopa4.010under $50
May 11, 195810:30 AM GMT-7F0Maricopa0.110under $50
March 11, 19582:30 PM GMT-7F0Maricopa0.733$500 to $5,000
August 29, 19572:30 PM GMT-7F0Maricopa0.1880$5,000 to $50,000
August 4, 19576:00 PM GMT-7F3Maricopa12.010$500 to $5,000
July 25, 19566:00 PM GMT-7F0Maricopa0.110
July 25, 19565:30 PM GMT-7F1Maricopa0.117$50 to $500
June 13, 19554:30 PM GMT-7F1Maricopa1.010$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Maricopa CountyThe forecast for Maricopa CountyThe live radar over Maricopa 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.