NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Douglas, 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 Douglas, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Douglas
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Douglas; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. Douglas has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The strongest of the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on July 28, 1966; its path came within 20 miles. The most recent tornado was on November 29, 2009. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Douglas. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1971, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Douglas has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Douglas
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Douglas: 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 Douglas
By decade
- 2000s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 1966 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 29, 2009 | EF0 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1974 | F0 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1963 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Douglas
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Douglas since 1971, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently September 7, 2021. The most recent report is from September 7, 2021. September has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Douglas
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Douglas Bisbee Inl Airport, AZ, 6 miles northwest of Douglas at 4,105 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 65°F; December is the coolest, at 61°F and 28°F. July is the wettest at 3.1 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 11.9 inches over 28 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 111 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 75 nights a year. That 11.9 inches is more than at 44 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (58%). Bisbee, 20 miles west, has its own station (Bisbee 1WNW, AZ): 17.2 inches a year, 5.3 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62 | 28 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Feb | 66 | 32 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Mar | 72 | 36 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Apr | 79 | 42 | 0.1 | 0 |
| May | 87 | 50 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 96 | 60 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Jul | 94 | 65 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 92 | 64 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 89 | 58 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Oct | 82 | 47 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Nov | 71 | 35 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 61 | 28 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Year | 79 | 45 | 11.9 | 28 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Douglas Bisbee Inl Airport, AZ (4,105 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 Douglas
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 59 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Douglas: 39 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 19, 2022. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 16. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 54 have had fewer than Douglas.
June 24, 2008: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Douglas — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two children were struck by lightning in Douglas.”
July 19, 2022: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Douglas — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds downed 42 power poles north of Douglas. The downed poles caused the closure of Highway 191 for 24 hours.”
July 22, 2021: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Douglas — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “5 fell in less than 1 hour in the Douglas area causing flash flooding of streets and caused the closure of Washington Ave where several homes were flooded and a block wall was knocked down by flood waters. West of town, Kings Highway just north of State Route 80 was closed due to flooding.”
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 Douglas, 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 Douglas
- Bisbee, AZ20 mi
- Hereford, AZ40 mi
- Sierra Vista, AZ42 mi
- Fort Huachuca, AZ46 mi
- Huachuca City, AZ51 mi
- Benson, AZ63 mi
- Willcox, AZ70 mi
- Vail, AZ79 mi
- Nogales, AZ81 mi
- Lordsburg, NM82 mi
- Rio Rico, AZ85 mi
- Green Valley, AZ91 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Douglas with another place →