Tornadoes in Yuma, Las Vegas and El Paso

Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated November 3, 2026

Yes: since 1950 the Storm Prediction Center has recorded 25 tornadoes within 25 miles of Yuma, Las Vegas and El Paso (Yuma 8, Las Vegas 6 and El Paso 11; a tornado near two of them counts once). 14 were rated F0 or EF0, the weakest, 11 F1 or EF1; none was rated above 1 on the Fujita or Enhanced Fujita scale.

Yuma: 8
Las Vegas: 6
El Paso: 11

Tornadoes near each city

Yuma: 8 tornadoes within 25 miles, the first on July 5, 1965. The strongest was F1 on September 22, 1987, 8 miles from the city centre; the most recent EF0 on October 13, 2018, 17 miles away.
Las Vegas: 6 tornadoes within 25 miles, the first on August 12, 1971. The strongest was F1 on March 30, 1992, 3 miles from the city centre; the most recent F0 on September 11, 1998, 14 miles away.
El Paso: 11 tornadoes within 25 miles, the first on July 29, 1959. The strongest was F1 on June 21, 1992, 12 miles from the city centre; the most recent EF0 on April 22, 2019, 16 miles away.

Every tornado near the desert Southwest

For scale, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has 340 tornadoes on record within 25 miles over the same years: 31 for every one near El Paso. None of the 25 killed or injured anyone. Half had a path shorter than 0.4 miles; the longest, on July 19, 1972, ran 3.6 miles. 7 came in July, 6 came in September and 4 came in June.

Tornadoes within 25 miles of Yuma, Las Vegas and El Paso, newest first
Date	Rating	Nearest city	Distance	Path	Killed / injured
April 22, 2019	EF0	El Paso	16 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0
October 13, 2018	EF0	Yuma	17 mi	0.14 mi	0 / 0
July 13, 2011	EF0	El Paso	24 mi	0.42 mi	0 / 0
September 11, 1998	F0	Las Vegas	14 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0
June 21, 1992	F1	El Paso	12 mi	0.5 mi	0 / 0
June 21, 1992	F1	El Paso	12 mi	1.2 mi	0 / 0
June 21, 1992	F1	El Paso	9 mi	0.6 mi	0 / 0
March 30, 1992	F0	Las Vegas	5 mi	0.5 mi	0 / 0
March 30, 1992	F1	Las Vegas	3 mi	1.5 mi	0 / 0
October 14, 1989	F1	Las Vegas	14 mi	0.2 mi	0 / 0
June 14, 1988	F0	El Paso	6 mi	0.2 mi	0 / 0
September 22, 1987	F0	Yuma	11 mi	0.5 mi	0 / 0
September 22, 1987	F1	Yuma	8 mi	0.5 mi	0 / 0
September 28, 1979	F0	Yuma	16 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0
July 31, 1979	F1	El Paso	20 mi	2 mi	0 / 0
February 10, 1978	F0	Yuma	23 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0
August 20, 1975	F0	Las Vegas	19 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0
September 19, 1972	F0	El Paso	24 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0
July 19, 1972	F0	El Paso	15 mi	3.6 mi	0 / 0
July 19, 1972	F1	El Paso	20 mi	2 mi	0 / 0
August 12, 1971	F0	Las Vegas	4 mi	1 mi	0 / 0
September 13, 1966	F1	Yuma	7 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0
July 5, 1965	F1	Yuma	4 mi	2 mi	0 / 0
July 5, 1965	F0	Yuma	17 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0
July 29, 1959	F1	El Paso	25 mi	0.1 mi	0 / 0

More weak tornadoes are reported since the 1990s, when Doppler radar and storm spotters spread; the counts by decade show reporting as much as climate.

How each figure on this page is counted: methodology.