NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fountain Hills, 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 Fountain Hills, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 42 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 42
- 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 Fountain Hills
The highest rating among the 42 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on January 17, 1993, came within 10 miles. Of the 42, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 24, 2020. Fountain Hills has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1992, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Fountain Hills has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fountain Hills
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s6
- 2000s1
- 1990s10
- 1980s4
- 1970s13
- 1960s5
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 1993 | F2 | 10 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1972 | F2 | 11 mi | 13.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 30, 1971 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 41 |
| Jul 4, 1968 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 13, 1995 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 1992 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 6, 1992 | F1 | 21 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 18, 1986 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1984 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1983 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1976 | F1 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1972 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 42, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fountain Hills
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Fountain Hills since 1992, made on 10 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on October 5, 2010. The most recent report is from September 26, 2025. September has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fountain Hills
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fountain Hills, AZ, in Fountain Hills at 1,580 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 103°F and low of 80°F; December is the coolest, at 63°F and 44°F. January is the wettest at 1.4 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 10.0 inches over 22 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 167 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 4 nights a year. That 10.0 inches is more than at 30 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (39%). Scottsdale, 11 miles west, has its own station (Scottsdale Municipal Airport, AZ): 8.7 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 104°F against 103°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 45 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Feb | 67 | 46 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Mar | 74 | 51 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Apr | 82 | 56 | 0.3 | 1 |
| May | 91 | 65 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 101 | 73 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 103 | 80 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Aug | 102 | 80 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Sep | 97 | 74 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Oct | 87 | 63 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Nov | 74 | 51 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 63 | 44 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Year | 84 | 61 | 10.0 | 22 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fountain Hills, AZ (1,580 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 Fountain Hills
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 66 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fountain Hills: 36 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 4 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $7.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 17, 2022. August has had the most flash floods, 12 of 20. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 64 have had fewer than Fountain Hills.
January 21, 2010: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fountain Hills — 3 injured, $1.5 million damage.
July 17, 2022: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fountain Hills — 1 injured, $5.0 million damage.
July 15, 2021: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Fountain Hills — $200,000 damage.
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
Maricopa County, which includes Fountain Hills, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 fires, 9 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 Maricopa County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.20 billion a year, the highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.12 billion (51%), 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 Fountain Hills
- Rio Verde, AZ9 mi
- Scottsdale, AZ11 mi
- Arizona City, AZ12 mi
- Mesa, AZ14 mi
- Paradise Valley, AZ14 mi
- Chandler, AZ18 mi
- Apache Junction, AZ18 mi
- Cave Creek, AZ19 mi
- Tempe, AZ19 mi
- Gilbert, AZ20 mi
- Phoenix, AZ22 mi
- Anthem, AZ25 mi
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