NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit San Luis, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of San Luis, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Nora in 1997. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- 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 San Luis
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed San Luis; the strongest was Nora in 1997, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near San Luis begins with Katrina in 1967; the most recent system was Nora in 1997. San Luis is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The highest rating among the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 13, 1966, came within 15 miles. The most recent tornado was on September 28, 1979. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than San Luis.
Compare San Luis's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near San Luis
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in San Luis: 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 San Luis
By decade
- 1970s1
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 1966 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1965 | F1 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1979 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1965 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 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 San Luis
The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of San Luis since 1955.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in San Luis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Yuma Mcas, AZ, 14 miles northeast of San Luis at 213 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 106°F and low of 83°F; December is the coolest, at 68°F and 47°F. September is the wettest at 0.7 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.0 inches; the year adds up to 3.2 inches over 8 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 181 days a year, almost all from March to November. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 3.2 inches is more than at 0 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (0%). Yuma, 18 miles northeast, has its own station (Yuma Quartermaster Depot, AZ): 3.3 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and an August average high of 109°F against 106°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 48 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Feb | 73 | 50 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Mar | 80 | 55 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Apr | 86 | 60 | 0.1 | 1 |
| May | 94 | 67 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 103 | 75 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 107 | 83 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 106 | 83 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Sep | 101 | 78 | 0.7 | 1 |
| Oct | 90 | 66 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Nov | 78 | 54 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Dec | 68 | 47 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Year | 88 | 64 | 3.2 | 8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Yuma Mcas, AZ (213 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 San Luis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 10 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of San Luis: 8 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood and 1 heavy rain event. 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 September 10, 2008.
September 10, 2008: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of San Luis — $150,000 damage.
September 8, 2015: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of San Luis — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Scattered thunderstorms affected community of Yuma as well as surrounding communities such as Somerton during the late afternoon and evening hours on September 8th.”
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
Yuma County, which includes San Luis, has been named in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1983, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 hurricane, 1 severe storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Yuma County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for heat waves; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $91.5 million a year, the 7th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $31.6 million (35%), 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 San Luis
- Somerton, AZ7 mi
- Yuma, AZ18 mi
- Holtville, CA39 mi
- Wellton, AZ39 mi
- Calexico, CA43 mi
- Heber, CA45 mi
- El Centro, CA50 mi
- Imperial, CA53 mi
- Brawley, CA54 mi
- Calipatria, CA61 mi
- Niland, CA75 mi
- Blythe, CA78 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare San Luis with another place →