NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sahuarita, 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 Sahuarita, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 18 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 18
- 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 Sahuarita
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sahuarita; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. Sahuarita has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The strongest of the 18 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on August 27, 1964; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 18, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 16, 2025. Sahuarita has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 134 Arizona cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1978, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Sahuarita has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sahuarita
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sahuarita: 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 Sahuarita
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s3
- 1980s2
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 1964 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Jun 23, 1974 | F1 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Jul 2, 2024 | EF1 | 16 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1992 | F1 | 20 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 16, 1984 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 1984 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1969 | F1 | in town | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1961 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 25, 2022 | EF0 | 14 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 2019 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2015 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 2005 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 18, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sahuarita
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Sahuarita since 1978. Of these, 7 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 June 29, 2015. The most recent report is from September 11, 2022. August has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sahuarita
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Green Valley, AZ, 4 miles south of Sahuarita at 2,900 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 99°F and low of 72°F; December is the coolest, at 66°F and 36°F. July is the wettest at 2.9 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 12.9 inches over 29 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 151 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 24 nights a year. That 12.9 inches is more than at 50 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (66%). Vail, 18 miles east, has its own station (Tucson International Airport, AZ): 10.6 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 100°F against 99°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 36 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 69 | 39 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 76 | 44 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 82 | 50 | 0.3 | 1 |
| May | 91 | 58 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 100 | 68 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Jul | 99 | 72 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 97 | 71 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 94 | 66 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Oct | 87 | 54 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Nov | 76 | 43 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Dec | 66 | 36 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Year | 84 | 53 | 12.9 | 29 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Green Valley, AZ (2,900 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 Sahuarita
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 84 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sahuarita: 42 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 9 lightning strikes and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 89 mph, on September 1, 1997. July has had the most flash floods, 12 of 29. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 85 have had fewer than Sahuarita.
September 15, 2011: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Sahuarita — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Extremely heavy rainfall across southern Tucson resulted in significant wash and stream flooding downstream from Tucson. Overflowing washes toppled a wall in the Rancho Sahuarita subdivision in Sahuarita resulting in damage to 15 homes and a muddy mess.”
August 12, 2018: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Sahuarita — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “5 inches of rain in less than 1 hour caused rapid flows on Flato Wash which swept away a vehicle on Old Nogales Highway.”
July 16, 2018: heavy rain event 5 miles from the centre of Sahuarita — 3 injured, $15,000 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
Pima County, which includes Sahuarita, 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 Sahuarita
- Green Valley, AZ6 mi
- Vail, AZ18 mi
- Tucson, AZ20 mi
- Rio Rico, AZ31 mi
- Oro Valley, AZ34 mi
- Benson, AZ39 mi
- Nogales, AZ39 mi
- Marana, AZ40 mi
- Huachuca City, AZ41 mi
- Fort Huachuca, AZ48 mi
- Oracle, AZ49 mi
- Red Rock, AZ49 mi
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