NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bisbee, 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 Bisbee, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 5
- 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 Bisbee
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bisbee; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. Bisbee has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The strongest of the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on July 28, 1966; its path came within 1 mile. Of the 5, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on November 29, 2009. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bisbee. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 10 times since 1985, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Bisbee has more hail reports within 10 miles than 48% of the 134 Arizona cities.
Compare Bisbee's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bisbee
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bisbee: 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 Bisbee
By decade
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 1966 | F1 | 1 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 29, 2009 | EF0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 1997 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1974 | F0 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1963 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bisbee
The Storm Prediction Center has 10 hail reports within 10 miles of Bisbee since 1985, made on 8 separate days. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on October 16, 1988. The most recent report is from June 15, 2020. August has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bisbee
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bisbee 1WNW, AZ, 4 miles northwest of Bisbee at 5,560 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 32°F. August is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 17.2 inches over 36 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 36 days a year, almost all from May to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 63 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 17.2 inches is more than at 67 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (88%). Hereford, 20 miles west, has its own station (Coronado Nmem, AZ): 20.9 inches a year, 3.7 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 32 | 1.3 | 3 | 1.4 |
| Feb | 60 | 35 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 67 | 38 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 73 | 44 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.1 |
| May | 81 | 51 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 60 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 63 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 48 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 56 | 33 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.6 |
| Year | 73 | 47 | 17.2 | 36 | 3.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bisbee 1WNW, AZ (5,560 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 Bisbee
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 26 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bisbee: 18 flash floods, 5 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 heavy rain events and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $154,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on August 23, 2010. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 18. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 60 have had fewer than Bisbee.
July 20, 2007: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Bisbee — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Excessive rainfall and low visibility contributed to a fatal accident on Highway 92 near Hereford. The Cochise County emergency dispatch facility flooded along with Highway 80 at Davis road.”
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 Bisbee's ZIP code 85603 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $148,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 50 Arizona cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 16 have fewer than Bisbee.
Cochise County, which includes Bisbee, 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 Bisbee
- Hereford, AZ20 mi
- Douglas, AZ20 mi
- Sierra Vista, AZ23 mi
- Fort Huachuca, AZ26 mi
- Huachuca City, AZ33 mi
- Benson, AZ49 mi
- Nogales, AZ61 mi
- Vail, AZ62 mi
- Rio Rico, AZ65 mi
- Willcox, AZ66 mi
- Green Valley, AZ72 mi
- Sahuarita, AZ73 mi
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