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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Red Rock, 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 Red Rock, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 11 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
11

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Red Rock

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Red Rock; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. Red Rock has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The strongest of the 11 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 28, 1994; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 11, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on March 7, 2024. Red Rock has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 134 Arizona cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 1979, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 134 Arizona cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Red Rock.

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Red Rock

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Red Rock, Arizona, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1992LesterAug 2464 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Red Rock: 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 Red Rock

By decade

  • 2020s2
  • 2010s1
  • 2000s1
  • 1990s3
  • 1980s2
  • 1970s2
Strongest tornadoes near Red Rock, Arizona
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jul 28, 1994F224 mi2 mi0 / 0
Aug 24, 1991F112 mi1 mi0 / 2
Jul 20, 1988F119 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Jun 21, 1972F117 mi1 mi0 / 8
Aug 13, 2023EF017 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Jul 14, 2017EF012 mi0.11 mi0 / 0
Oct 8, 2006F017 mi0.03 mi0 / 0
Aug 5, 1993F024 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Nov 18, 1986F018 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Aug 8, 1970F014 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Mar 7, 2024Unrated25 mi0.32 mi0 / 0

The strongest 11 of 11, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Red Rock

The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Red Rock since 1979. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on August 15, 1979. The most recent report is from January 24, 2021.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Red Rock

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Picacho 8 SE, AZ, 6 miles northwest of Red Rock at 1,981 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 104°F and low of 78°F; December is the coolest, at 66°F and 40°F. August is the wettest at 1.9 inches of precipitation on average and May and June the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 10.1 inches over 24 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 176 days a year, almost all from March to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 10 nights a year. That 10.1 inches is more than at 31 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (41%). Marana, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Tucson 17 NW, AZ): 11.1 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 102°F against 104°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Picacho 8 SE, AZ
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan67411.02
Feb71431.23
Mar78480.92
Apr86540.31
May95630.21
Jun104720.21
Jul104781.33
Aug103781.94
Sep99720.92
Oct89600.52
Nov76490.52
Dec66401.23
Year865810.124

Averages for 1991–2020 at Picacho 8 SE, AZ (1,981 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.

Arizona weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Red Rock

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 20 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Red Rock: 11 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on August 1, 2008. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 32 have had fewer than Red Rock.

  • July 30, 2010: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Red Rock — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.

  • July 24, 2021: flood 4 miles from the centre of Red Rock — $500,000 damage.

    NWS: “Heavy rains upstream in the basin late July 22 into July 23, raised water levels in the Santa Cruz River and Greene Wash in Pinal County. Several roads were washed out where the Santa Cruz becomes multi-channeled from west of Pinal Airpark to southwest of Picacho.”

  • July 5, 1996: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Red Rock — $350,000 damage.

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 Red Rock, 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 Red Rock

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