NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Apache Junction, AZ
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Apache Junction, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 31 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 31
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Apache Junction
The highest rating among the 31 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 30, 1971, came within 19 miles. Of the 31, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on October 16, 2022. Apache Junction has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1987, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Apache Junction has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Apache Junction
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s4
- 2000s1
- 1990s7
- 1980s1
- 1970s12
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 1971 | F2 | 19 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 41 |
| Jul 4, 1968 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 13, 1995 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 18, 1993 | F1 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 18, 1986 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1976 | F1 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1972 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 1972 | F1 | 18 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 1, 1971 | F1 | 9 mi | 32.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 5, 1970 | F1 | 11 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 19, 1967 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1955 | F1 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 31, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Apache Junction
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of Apache Junction since 1987, made on 11 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on October 13, 2025, the most recent report. October has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Apache Junction
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Apache Junction 5 NE, AZ, 6 miles northeast of Apache Junction at 2,070 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 105°F and low of 77°F; December is the coolest, at 66°F and 42°F. February is the wettest at 1.7 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 12.6 inches over 24 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 168 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 8 nights a year. That 12.6 inches is more than at 48 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (63%). Mesa, 12 miles west, has its own station (E Mesa, AZ): 11.0 inches a year, 1.6 less than here, and a July average high of 106°F against 105°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 43 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Feb | 70 | 44 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Mar | 77 | 48 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Apr | 85 | 53 | 0.5 | 1 |
| May | 93 | 60 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Jun | 103 | 69 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 105 | 77 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Aug | 104 | 76 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Sep | 99 | 71 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Oct | 88 | 60 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Nov | 76 | 50 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Dec | 66 | 42 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Year | 86 | 58 | 12.6 | 24 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Apache Junction 5 NE, AZ (2,070 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Apache Junction
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 147 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Apache Junction: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 flash floods, 12 heavy rain events, 4 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $6.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 89 mph, on July 10, 2008. September has had the most flash floods, 10 of 33. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 94 have had fewer than Apache Junction.
July 21, 2008: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Apache Junction — 3 injured, $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Microburst winds took down a total of 55 power poles in Mesa, leaving as many as 12,000 SRP customers without power. About 31 homes were damaged at a trailer park on North Recker, 4 of those had roofs blown off.”
July 18, 2006: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Apache Junction — 1 injured, $1.0 million damage.
July 30, 2011: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Apache Junction — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 39 year old east Mesa man was knocked off of a ladder after a lightning bolt struck nearby. The lightning bolt did not strike the man directly.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Apache Junction's 2 ZIP codes have filed 36 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 10. Of the 50 Arizona cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 24 have fewer than Apache Junction.
Pinal County, which includes Apache Junction, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 fires, 6 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pinal County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $137.5 million a year, the 3rd highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $92.4 million (67%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Apache Junction
- Gold Canyon, AZ8 mi
- Mesa, AZ12 mi
- Arizona City, AZ13 mi
- Gilbert, AZ13 mi
- San Tan Valley, AZ16 mi
- Queen Creek, AZ16 mi
- Fountain Hills, AZ18 mi
- Chandler, AZ20 mi
- Tempe, AZ23 mi
- Rio Verde, AZ24 mi
- Sacaton, AZ24 mi
- Scottsdale, AZ25 mi
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