NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gold Canyon, 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 Gold Canyon, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 21
- 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 Gold Canyon
The strongest of the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 4, 1968; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 21, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on July 24, 2020. Gold Canyon has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 11 times since 1999, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Gold Canyon has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Gold Canyon
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3
- 1990s5
- 1980s1
- 1970s7
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 1968 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 13, 1995 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 18, 1993 | F1 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 18, 1986 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1976 | F1 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1972 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 1971 | F1 | 15 mi | 32.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 5, 1970 | F1 | 19 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 19, 1967 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1955 | F1 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2020 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 29, 2019 | EF0 | 11 mi | 3.56 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 Gold Canyon
The Storm Prediction Center has 11 hail reports within 10 miles of Gold Canyon since 1999, made on 8 separate days. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on October 13, 2025, the most recent report. October has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gold Canyon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Apache Junction 5 NE, AZ, 9 miles northwest of Gold Canyon at 2,070 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 105°F and low of 77°F; December is the coolest, at 66°F and 42°F. February is the wettest at 1.7 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 12.6 inches over 24 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 168 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 8 nights a year. That 12.6 inches is more than at 48 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (63%). San Tan Valley, 15 miles southwest, has its own station (Casa Grande Nm, AZ): 8.3 inches a year, 4.3 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 | 67 | 43 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Feb | 70 | 44 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Mar | 77 | 48 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Apr | 85 | 53 | 0.5 | 1 |
| May | 93 | 60 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Jun | 103 | 69 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 105 | 77 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Aug | 104 | 76 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Sep | 99 | 71 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Oct | 88 | 60 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Nov | 76 | 50 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Dec | 66 | 42 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Year | 86 | 58 | 12.6 | 24 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Apache Junction 5 NE, AZ (2,070 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 Gold Canyon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 91 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gold Canyon: 52 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 9 heavy rain events, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 89 mph, on July 10, 2008. August has had the most flash floods, 9 of 27. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 82 have had fewer than Gold Canyon.
July 31, 2010: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Gold Canyon — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain resulted in flooded roads in Queen Valley. 5 inches per hour.”
July 30, 2011: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Gold Canyon — 1 injured.
July 21, 2013: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Gold Canyon — $350,000 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
Pinal County, which includes Gold Canyon, 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 Gold Canyon
- Apache Junction, AZ8 mi
- San Tan Valley, AZ15 mi
- Queen Creek, AZ16 mi
- Gilbert, AZ19 mi
- Superior, AZ19 mi
- Mesa, AZ19 mi
- Arizona City, AZ20 mi
- Fountain Hills, AZ26 mi
- Sacaton, AZ26 mi
- Coolidge, AZ26 mi
- Chandler, AZ27 mi
- Florence, AZ29 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Gold Canyon with another place →