NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Black Canyon City, 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 Black Canyon City, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 7 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 7
- 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 Black Canyon City
The highest rating among the 7 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 7 times; the most recent, on September 23, 2019, came within 15 miles. Of the 7, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. Of the 134 Arizona cities on this site, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Black Canyon City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 1968, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 134 Arizona cities, 75% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Black Canyon City.
Compare Black Canyon City's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Black Canyon City
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2019 | EF0 | 15 mi | 1.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 2010 | EF0 | 11 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2006 | F0 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2003 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 8, 1993 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 18, 1993 | F0 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1967 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 7 of 7, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Black Canyon City
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Black Canyon City since 1968. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on July 29, 1968. The most recent report is from July 1, 2016.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Black Canyon City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cordes, AZ, 14 miles north of Black Canyon City at 3,771 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 66°F; December is the coolest, at 58°F and 33°F. August is the wettest at 2.1 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 15.2 inches over 29 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 100 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 44 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year. That 15.2 inches is more than at 58 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (76%). New River, 13 miles south, has its own station (Carefree, AZ): 12.7 inches a year, 2.5 less than here, and a July average high of 103°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 34 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 61 | 35 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 67 | 38 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 74 | 42 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.2 |
| May | 83 | 50 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 93 | 58 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 96 | 66 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 66 | 2.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 89 | 60 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 79 | 49 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 39 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 58 | 33 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Year | 77 | 47 | 15.2 | 29 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cordes, AZ (3,771 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 Black Canyon City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 45 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Black Canyon City: 19 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events, 7 thunderstorm wind reports and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on August 8, 2018. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 62 have had fewer than Black Canyon City.
August 19, 2014: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Black Canyon City — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms developed across the northern portion of the greater Phoenix area during the early morning on August 19th, and continued to intensify and move northeastward in waves through the late morning and into the afternoon hours.”
January 21, 2010: flood 6 miles from the centre of Black Canyon City — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain and melting snow caused major flooding in Black Canyon City. Evacuations orders were issued for communities along the Agua Fria River and Black Canyon Creek.”
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
Yavapai County, which includes Black Canyon City, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 fires, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Yavapai County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $107.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $69.7 million (65%), 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 Black Canyon City
- New River, AZ13 mi
- Mayer, AZ16 mi
- Anthem, AZ19 mi
- Cave Creek, AZ23 mi
- Dewey, AZ30 mi
- Peoria, AZ33 mi
- Sun City West, AZ33 mi
- Camp Verde, AZ34 mi
- Sun City, AZ35 mi
- Rio Verde, AZ36 mi
- Glendale, AZ36 mi
- Kirkland, AZ37 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Black Canyon City with another place →