NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rio Verde, 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 Rio Verde, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 30 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 30
- 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 Rio Verde
The highest rating among the 30 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on January 17, 1993, came within 15 miles. Of the 30, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on July 24, 2020. Rio Verde has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 1992, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 134 Arizona cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rio Verde.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Rio Verde
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4
- 2000s1
- 1990s4
- 1980s3
- 1970s12
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 1993 | F2 | 15 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1972 | F2 | 15 mi | 13.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 30, 1971 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 41 |
| Jul 4, 1968 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 18, 1986 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1984 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1976 | F1 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1972 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 1972 | F1 | 24 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 18, 1971 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 1971 | F1 | 20 mi | 32.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 5, 1970 | F1 | 21 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 30, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rio Verde
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Rio Verde since 1992, made on 4 separate days. Of these, 2 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 October 25, 1998. The most recent report is from August 16, 2021.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rio Verde
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fountain Hills, AZ, 9 miles south of Rio Verde at 1,580 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 103°F and low of 80°F; December is the coolest, at 63°F and 44°F. January is the wettest at 1.4 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 10.0 inches over 22 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 167 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 4 nights a year. That 10.0 inches is more than at 30 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (39%). Scottsdale, 17 miles southwest, has its own station (Scottsdale Municipal Airport, AZ): 8.7 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 104°F against 103°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 45 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Feb | 67 | 46 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Mar | 74 | 51 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Apr | 82 | 56 | 0.3 | 1 |
| May | 91 | 65 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 101 | 73 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 103 | 80 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Aug | 102 | 80 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Sep | 97 | 74 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Oct | 87 | 63 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Nov | 74 | 51 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 63 | 44 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Year | 84 | 61 | 10.0 | 22 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fountain Hills, AZ (1,580 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 Rio Verde
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 41 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rio Verde: 21 flash floods, 19 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $284,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 29, 2012. August has had the most flash floods, 12 of 21. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 67 have had fewer than Rio Verde.
July 6, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Rio Verde — $100,000 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
Maricopa County, which includes Rio Verde, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 fires, 9 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 Maricopa County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.20 billion a year, the highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.12 billion (51%), 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 Rio Verde
- Fountain Hills, AZ9 mi
- Scottsdale, AZ17 mi
- Cave Creek, AZ17 mi
- Paradise Valley, AZ20 mi
- Arizona City, AZ21 mi
- Mesa, AZ22 mi
- Anthem, AZ23 mi
- Apache Junction, AZ24 mi
- Chandler, AZ26 mi
- Tempe, AZ27 mi
- Phoenix, AZ27 mi
- New River, AZ28 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Rio Verde with another place →