NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oro Valley, 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 Oro Valley, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 17
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Oro Valley
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oro Valley; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. Oro Valley has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The highest rating among the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 28, 1994, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on August 27, 1964, killed 2 people. Of the 17, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on July 2, 2024. Oro Valley has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 134 Arizona cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1995, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Oro Valley has more hail reports within 10 miles than 85% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oro Valley
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 40 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 Oro Valley: 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 Oro Valley
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s6
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 1964 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Jul 28, 1994 | F2 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1974 | F1 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Jul 2, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1992 | F1 | 14 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 24, 1991 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 16, 1984 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 1974 | F1 | 22 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1961 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 13, 2023 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 2022 | EF0 | 22 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 2017 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oro Valley
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Oro Valley since 1995, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 10, 2018. The most recent report is from November 19, 2025. August has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oro Valley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tucson Camp Ave Exp, AZ, 11 miles south of Oro Valley at 2,330 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 101°F and low of 75°F; December is the coolest, at 67°F and 36°F. August is the wettest at 2.6 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 11.7 inches over 25 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 165 days a year, almost all from April to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 26 nights a year. That 11.7 inches is more than at 42 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (55%). Tucson, 14 miles south, has its own station (Tucson WFO, AZ): 11.6 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 100°F against 101°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | 37 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Feb | 71 | 40 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 78 | 45 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 85 | 50 | 0.3 | 1 |
| May | 93 | 58 | 0.1 | 1 |
| Jun | 102 | 68 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 101 | 75 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Aug | 100 | 74 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Sep | 96 | 68 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Oct | 88 | 55 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Nov | 77 | 43 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 67 | 36 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Year | 85 | 54 | 11.7 | 25 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tucson Camp Ave Exp, AZ (2,330 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 Oro Valley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 152 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oro Valley: 87 thunderstorm wind reports, 42 flash floods, 15 lightning strikes, 4 floods and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $9.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 18, 2007. August has had the most flash floods, 20 of 42. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 106 have had fewer than Oro Valley.
October 6, 2015: heavy rain event 8 miles from the centre of Oro Valley — 3 injured, $30,000 damage.
July 7, 2014: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Oro Valley — 3 injured, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm outflow winds flowed into air vents causing a section of drywall to fall into a breezeway, where it struck four people waiting for appointments at an office in a strip mall. Three of the four sustained minor injuries.”
July 5, 2024: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Oro Valley — 2 injured, $600,000 damage.
NWS: “A dry microburst resulted in 14 downed power poles were destroyed, multiple falling into on coming traffic, of which two power poles landed on cars injuring and trapping people inside, and significantly damaging the cars.”
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 Oro Valley's 2 ZIP codes have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $290,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 28% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 50 Arizona cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 11 have fewer than Oro Valley.
Pima County, which includes Oro Valley, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pima County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding, lightning 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 $531.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $347.4 million (65%), 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 Oro Valley
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- Marana, AZ15 mi
- Oracle, AZ17 mi
- San Manuel, AZ24 mi
- Red Rock, AZ25 mi
- Sahuarita, AZ34 mi
- Vail, AZ35 mi
- Florence, AZ39 mi
- Eloy, AZ39 mi
- Green Valley, AZ40 mi
- Kearny, AZ46 mi
- Coolidge, AZ48 mi
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