NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oracle, 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 Oracle, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 6
- 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 Oracle
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oracle; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. Oracle has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The strongest of the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 28, 1994; its path came within 22 miles. Of the 6, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 2, 2021. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Oracle. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Oracle has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 134 Arizona cities.
Compare Oracle's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oracle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Oracle: 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 Oracle
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 1994 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 1974 | F1 | 5 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 1974 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2006 | F0 | 25 mi | 0.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1993 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 2021 | Unrated | 22 mi | 0.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oracle
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Oracle since 1974, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on September 12, 2016. The most recent report is from September 25, 2025. September has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oracle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oracle 2 SE, AZ, 3 miles southeast of Oracle at 4,510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; December is the coolest, at 55°F and 36°F. July is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 21.8 inches over 41 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 68 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 41 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 21.8 inches is more than at 74 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (97%). Oro Valley, 17 miles southwest, has its own station (Tucson Camp Ave Exp, AZ): 11.7 inches a year, 10.1 less than here, and a July average high of 101°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 35 | 2.3 | 4 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 58 | 37 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 1.7 | 4 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 0.6 | 1 | 1.2 |
| May | 82 | 56 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 92 | 66 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 52 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 42 | 1.3 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 55 | 36 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.8 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 21.8 | 41 | 10.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oracle 2 SE, AZ (4,510 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 Oracle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 34 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oracle: 16 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $704,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 8, 2009. August has had the most flash floods, 6 of 12. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 45 have had fewer than Oracle.
August 14, 2003: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Oracle — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
July 29, 2015: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Oracle — $225,000 damage.
August 24, 2010: thunderstorm wind in Oracle — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms moving into Oracle resulted in trees and power lines downed across a roadway. The most extensive damage was a roof blown off of a home located on Bonito Drive in Oracle.”
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 Oracle, 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 Oracle
- San Manuel, AZ10 mi
- Oro Valley, AZ17 mi
- Marana, AZ28 mi
- Tucson, AZ29 mi
- Red Rock, AZ34 mi
- Kearny, AZ35 mi
- Florence, AZ35 mi
- Bylas, AZ43 mi
- Vail, AZ43 mi
- Peridot, AZ46 mi
- Eloy, AZ48 mi
- Coolidge, AZ48 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Oracle with another place →