NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Payson, 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 Payson, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Payson
The strongest of the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on October 6, 2010; its path came within 14 miles. The most recent tornado was on November 19, 2023. Of the 134 Arizona cities on this site, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Payson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Payson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Payson
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2010 | EF2 | 14 mi | 14.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 19, 2023 | EF1 | in town | 2.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 2021 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 2004 | F0 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Payson
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Payson since 1955. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 13, 1955. The most recent report is from August 6, 2024. July has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Payson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Payson, AZ, 4 miles west of Payson at 4,850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 60°F; December is the coolest, at 55°F and 26°F. July is the wettest at 2.8 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 19.8 inches over 40 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 125 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 19.8 inches is more than at 70 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (92%). Camp Verde, 39 miles northwest, has its own station (Montezuma Castle Nm, AZ): 13.3 inches a year, 6.5 less than here, and a July average high of 101°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 26 | 2.3 | 4 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 59 | 28 | 2.3 | 4 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 65 | 32 | 1.9 | 3 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 72 | 36 | 0.8 | 2 | 2.0 |
| May | 80 | 43 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 51 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 60 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 59 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 52 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 41 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 31 | 1.5 | 3 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 55 | 26 | 2.1 | 4 | 3.6 |
| Year | 74 | 40 | 19.8 | 40 | 18.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Payson, AZ (4,850 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 Payson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Payson: 16 heavy rain events, 14 flash floods, 5 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $106,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 68 mph, on September 1, 2019. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 14. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 49 have had fewer than Payson.
December 6, 2019: flood 10 miles from the centre of Payson — 1 killed.
NWS: “Tonto Creek rose to above action stage for several days due to heavy rain and melting snow. During the initial increase in flow, a vehicle attempted ford the creek at a low water crossing.”
September 1, 2019: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Payson — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “The Payson ASOS reported a peak wind gust of 68 MPH at 335 PM. The Payson Police reported multiple trees and power poles down in the city.”
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 Payson's ZIP code 85541 have filed 46 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993, and were paid $616,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 11. 7% 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, 29 have fewer than Payson.
Gila County, which includes Payson, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 fires, 7 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gila County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $55.2 million a year, the 9th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $35.2 million (64%), 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 Payson
- Pine, AZ15 mi
- Camp Verde, AZ39 mi
- Rimrock, AZ39 mi
- Cibecue, AZ43 mi
- Rio Verde, AZ43 mi
- Overgaard, AZ45 mi
- Black Canyon City, AZ48 mi
- Cornville, AZ48 mi
- Mayer, AZ49 mi
- Cave Creek, AZ50 mi
- Sedona, AZ51 mi
- Fountain Hills, AZ51 mi
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