NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hereford, 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 Hereford, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 5
- 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 Hereford
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hereford; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. Hereford has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The highest rating among the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 16, 1971, came within 9 miles. Of the 5, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and none has come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on August 23, 1997. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hereford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1984, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Hereford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 134 Arizona cities.
Compare Hereford's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hereford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hereford: 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 Hereford
By decade
- 1990s2
- 1970s1
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 1971 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 28, 1966 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 1997 | F0 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 1993 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1963 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hereford
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Hereford since 1984, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on September 7, 2021. The most recent report is from August 7, 2023. July and August have the most reports, 12 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hereford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Coronado Nmem, AZ, 6 miles south of Hereford at 5,242 feet. June is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 33°F. August is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 20.9 inches over 43 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 54 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 20.9 inches is more than at 72 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (95%). Sierra Vista, 8 miles north, has its own station (Sierra Vista, AZ): 13.0 inches a year, 7.9 less than here, and a June average high of 94°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 33 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 62 | 35 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 68 | 39 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 75 | 45 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.1 |
| May | 83 | 52 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 92 | 60 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 63 | 4.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 62 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 58 | 2.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 50 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 40 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 58 | 34 | 1.9 | 3 | 1.4 |
| Year | 75 | 48 | 20.9 | 43 | 3.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Coronado Nmem, AZ (5,242 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 Hereford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hereford: 35 flash floods, 19 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 79 mph, on July 11, 2020. July has had the most flash floods, 24 of 35. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 100 have had fewer than Hereford.
July 16, 2012: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Hereford — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain over and adjacent to the Monument Fire burn scar caused flash flooding in the Sierra Vista and Hereford areas. Numerous roads were covered with flood waters, mud, boulders and other debris.”
July 10, 2011: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Hereford — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “5 to 3 inches) occurred over the Monument Fire Burn area in the Huachuca Mountains resulting in significant flash flooding and damage to areas in Ash, Miller and Carr Canyons, as well as along Highway 92.”
September 18, 2014: flood 7 miles from the centre of Hereford — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Multiple road and bridge closures occurred in response to heavy rainfall across much of Cochise County. Increased flows on the San Pedro River eventually over-topped both the Highway 92 bridge in Palominas and the Hereford Bridge, causing both to be closed for a period of time.”
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 Hereford's ZIP code 85615 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2000, and were paid $61,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 50 Arizona cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 5 have fewer than Hereford.
Cochise County, which includes Hereford, 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.