NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Florence, 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 Florence, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 15
- 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 Florence
The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 5 times; the most recent, on July 20, 1988, came within 17 miles. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and none has come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on July 6, 1999. Florence has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2025, with stones of 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 134 Arizona cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Florence.
Compare Florence's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Florence
By decade
- 1990s3
- 1980s5
- 1970s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 1988 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 1985 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 1974 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1972 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Sep 1, 1971 | F1 | 23 mi | 32.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1999 | F0 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1993 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1993 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 18, 1986 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 1985 | F0 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 1985 | F0 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 1974 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Florence
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Florence, from September 26, 2025: 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Florence
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Florence, AZ, 11 miles northwest of Florence at 1,400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 105°F and low of 78°F; December is the coolest, at 67°F and 41°F. January is the wettest at 1.4 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 8.8 inches over 18 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 168 days a year, almost all from March to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 10 nights a year. That 8.8 inches is more than at 24 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (32%). Coolidge, 15 miles west, has its own station (Casa Grande Nm, AZ): 8.3 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 107°F against 105°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | 42 | 1.4 | 2 |
| Feb | 71 | 44 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 79 | 49 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Apr | 86 | 53 | 0.3 | 1 |
| May | 94 | 61 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Jun | 103 | 70 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 105 | 78 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Aug | 103 | 78 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Sep | 99 | 72 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Oct | 89 | 60 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Nov | 77 | 48 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Dec | 67 | 41 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Year | 87 | 58 | 8.8 | 18 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Florence, AZ (1,400 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 Florence
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 8 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Florence: 4 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $357,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 30, 2018.
July 30, 2018: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Florence — $250,000 damage.
August 11, 2016: flood 8 miles from the centre of Florence — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Several inches of rainfall caused significant flows on the McClellan and Durham Washes. Water traveled downstream, overflowing at in spots into parts of Picacho and Eloy.”
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
Pinal County, which includes Florence, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 fires, 6 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pinal 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 hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $137.5 million a year, the 3rd highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $92.4 million (67%), 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 Florence
- Coolidge, AZ15 mi
- Kearny, AZ18 mi
- Superior, AZ24 mi
- San Tan Valley, AZ24 mi
- Queen Creek, AZ25 mi
- Red Rock, AZ27 mi
- Gold Canyon, AZ29 mi
- Eloy, AZ29 mi
- Casa Grande, AZ30 mi
- Sacaton, AZ31 mi
- Marana, AZ33 mi
- Oracle, AZ35 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Florence with another place →