NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Benson, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Benson, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 6
- 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 Benson
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Benson; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 39 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. Benson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The strongest of the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on September 1, 1971; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 6, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on September 12, 2025. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Benson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1996, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Benson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 134 Arizona cities.
Compare Benson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Benson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Benson: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Benson
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 1970s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 1971 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2017 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 2015 | EF0 | 9 mi | 0.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1956 | F0 | 1 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Unrated | 16 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2024 | Unrated | 5 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Benson
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Benson since 1996, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on July 20, 2003. The most recent report is from September 12, 2025. July has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Benson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Benson 6SE, AZ, 10 miles southeast of Benson at 3,690 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 98°F and low of 66°F; December is the coolest, at 64°F and 27°F. August is the wettest at 2.8 inches of precipitation on average and April and May the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 11.9 inches over 30 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 130 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. That 11.9 inches is more than at 43 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (57%). Vail, 21 miles west, has its own station (Tucson International Airport, AZ): 10.6 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 100°F against 98°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 27 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 68 | 30 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Mar | 74 | 35 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 81 | 41 | 0.2 | 1 |
| May | 90 | 49 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 99 | 58 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Jul | 98 | 66 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Aug | 95 | 65 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 92 | 58 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Oct | 84 | 45 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Nov | 73 | 34 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Dec | 64 | 27 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Year | 82 | 45 | 11.9 | 30 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Benson 6SE, AZ (3,690 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 Benson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Benson: 26 flash floods, 20 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 19, 2007. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 79 have had fewer than Benson.
September 12, 2025: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Benson — 1 killed, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “Two individuals attempted to cross a flooded wash and got swept away. Swift water rescues occurred with one person rescued and one fatality.”
June 30, 2015: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Benson — 1 killed.
NWS: “Lightning struck and killed a man who was walking along a dirt road.”
August 24, 2010: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Benson — 3 injured, $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Benson News-Sun and a local city official reported extensive damage to much of the city of Benson from thunderstorm activity.”
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
Cochise County, which includes Benson, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 fires, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cochise 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 strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $90.8 million a year, the 8th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $44.3 million (49%), 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 Benson
- Vail, AZ21 mi
- Huachuca City, AZ23 mi
- Fort Huachuca, AZ32 mi
- Sierra Vista, AZ33 mi
- Willcox, AZ35 mi
- Sahuarita, AZ39 mi
- Tucson, AZ39 mi
- Hereford, AZ40 mi
- Green Valley, AZ41 mi
- San Manuel, AZ44 mi
- Oro Valley, AZ48 mi
- Bisbee, AZ49 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Benson with another place →