NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Flagstaff, 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 Flagstaff, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 21
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Flagstaff
The strongest of the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on October 6, 2010; its path came within 12 miles. Of the 21, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. October has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on May 13, 2024. Flagstaff has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1981, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Flagstaff has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Flagstaff
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s10(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2010 | EF3 | 12 mi | 30.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 2011 | EF2 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 2010 | EF2 | 14 mi | 18.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 2010 | EF2 | 11 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Oct 6, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1992 | F2 | 11 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 2010 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 2010 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 2006 | F1 | 14 mi | 9.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 2024 | EF0 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2022 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2021 | EF0 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Flagstaff
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Flagstaff since 1981, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 9, 2018. The most recent report is from September 25, 2025. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Flagstaff
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sunset Crater Nm, AZ, 7 miles northeast of Flagstaff at 6,980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 49°F; December is the coolest, at 44°F and 12°F. August is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 17.2 inches over 40 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 215 nights a year. Snowfall averages 49.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 17.2 inches is more than at 65 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (86%). Sedona, 32 miles south, has its own station (Sedona, AZ): 17.1 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 97°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 13 | 1.4 | 3 | 12.2 |
| Feb | 47 | 16 | 1.1 | 3 | 9.4 |
| Mar | 54 | 21 | 1.1 | 2 | 6.1 |
| Apr | 61 | 27 | 0.7 | 2 | 4.2 |
| May | 70 | 34 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.8 |
| Jun | 82 | 42 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 49 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 47 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 40 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 28 | 1.4 | 3 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 53 | 18 | 0.9 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 44 | 12 | 1.7 | 4 | 11.9 |
| Year | 63 | 29 | 17.2 | 40 | 49.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sunset Crater Nm, AZ (6,980 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 Flagstaff
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Flagstaff: 68 flash floods, 34 heavy rain events, 7 floods, 5 lightning strikes and 2 thunderstorm wind reports. They killed 2 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $9.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on August 1, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 39 of 68. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 120 have had fewer than Flagstaff.
July 20, 2016: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Flagstaff — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “Three young men were struck by lightning within minutes of reaching the summit of Humphreys Peak (12,633 feet above mean sea level). Two of them men were injured and one died.”
July 20, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Flagstaff — 1 killed, $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain over the Schultz Fire burn area caused extensive flash flooding on both sides of Highway 89 northeast of Flagstaff. A 12 year old girl was swept away in the flood waters and drowned.”
July 22, 2008: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Flagstaff — 2 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck an 80-foot tall ponderosa pine tree and at least one of two golfers on a local golf course. The upper 60 feet of the pine tree was blown apart.”
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 Flagstaff's 3 ZIP codes have filed 144 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2022, with 34. 3% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 50 Arizona cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 44 have fewer than Flagstaff.
Coconino County, which includes Flagstaff, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 fires, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on September 13, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Coconino County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $130.9 million a year, the 4th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $85.7 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 Flagstaff
- Sedona, AZ32 mi
- Williams, AZ36 mi
- Cornville, AZ42 mi
- Clarkdale, AZ44 mi
- Rimrock, AZ44 mi
- Cottonwood, AZ45 mi
- Grand Canyon, AZ47 mi
- Camp Verde, AZ52 mi
- Ash Fork, AZ54 mi
- Paulden, AZ55 mi
- Chino Valley, AZ60 mi
- Prescott Valley, AZ60 mi
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