NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Quartzsite, 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 Quartzsite, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Quartzsite
The strongest of the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 16, 1973; its path came within 23 miles. The most recent tornado was on October 13, 2018. Of the 134 Arizona cities on this site, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Quartzsite. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 1997, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 134 Arizona cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Quartzsite.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Quartzsite
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1973 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1983 | F1 | 1 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 2018 | EF0 | 5 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 2010 | EF0 | 19 mi | 14.26 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 Quartzsite
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Quartzsite since 1997. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on July 23, 1997. The most recent report is from October 2, 2010.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Quartzsite
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Quartzsite, AZ, in Quartzsite at 875 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 109°F and low of 82°F; December is the coolest, at 65°F and 39°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 176 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 12 nights a year. That 4.8 inches is more than at 6 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (8%). Blythe, CA, 22 miles west, has its own station (Blythe, CA): 3.7 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 110°F against 109°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 40 | 0.7 | 1 |
| Feb | 71 | 44 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 79 | 51 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Apr | 87 | 57 | 0.1 | 0 |
| May | 95 | 66 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 105 | 75 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 109 | 82 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Aug | 108 | 82 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Sep | 102 | 74 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Oct | 90 | 60 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Nov | 76 | 47 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Dec | 65 | 39 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Year | 88 | 60 | 4.8 | 11 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Quartzsite, AZ (875 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 Quartzsite
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Quartzsite: 34 flash floods, 19 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 2, 2003. August has had the most flash floods, 18 of 34. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 97 have had fewer than Quartzsite.
September 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Quartzsite — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Extensive damage in town due to microburst winds. Power poles were knocked down and trailers were overturned.”
July 10, 2011: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Quartzsite — $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Isolated high based thunderstorms developed across La Paz county during the evening hours on July 10th. The storms produced wind gusts estimated to be in excess of 50 knots.”
September 9, 2008: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Quartzsite — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Quartzsite Fire Department reported an estimated gust of 75 mph that blew two tractor trailer trucks off the road.”
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
La Paz County, which includes Quartzsite, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1983, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives La Paz County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.5 million a year, the 12th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.3 million (88%), 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 Quartzsite
- Blythe, CA22 mi
- Parker, AZ31 mi
- Lake Havasu City, AZ58 mi
- Wellton, AZ68 mi
- Yuma, AZ69 mi
- Tonopah, AZ71 mi
- Somerton, AZ79 mi
- Calipatria, CA82 mi
- Niland, CA83 mi
- Needles, CA83 mi
- San Luis, AZ86 mi
- Brawley, CA87 mi
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