NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit San Manuel, 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 San Manuel, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- 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 Manuel
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed San Manuel; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. San Manuel has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of 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 October 23, 1974, came within 25 miles. The most recent tornado was on July 2, 2021. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than San Manuel. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). San Manuel has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 134 Arizona cities.
Compare San Manuel's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near San Manuel
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in San Manuel: 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 Manuel
By decade
- 2020s1
- 1990s1
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 1974 | F1 | 11 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 1974 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1993 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 2021 | Unrated | 24 mi | 0.59 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 Manuel
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of San Manuel since 1974, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 29, 2002. The most recent report is from September 25, 2025. September has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in San Manuel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oracle 2 SE, AZ, 8 miles west of San Manuel at 4,510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; December is the coolest, at 55°F and 36°F. July is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 21.8 inches over 41 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 68 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 41 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 21.8 inches is more than at 74 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (97%). Oro Valley, 24 miles southwest, has its own station (Tucson Camp Ave Exp, AZ): 11.7 inches a year, 10.1 less than here, and a July average high of 101°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 35 | 2.3 | 4 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 58 | 37 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 1.7 | 4 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 0.6 | 1 | 1.2 |
| May | 82 | 56 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 92 | 66 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 52 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 42 | 1.3 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 55 | 36 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.8 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 21.8 | 41 | 10.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oracle 2 SE, AZ (4,510 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 Manuel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of San Manuel: 12 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 8, 2009. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 43 have had fewer than San Manuel.
August 14, 2003: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of San Manuel — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “90 inches. The Bonito Wash flooded several homes in the Campo Bonito area.”
July 22, 2021: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of San Manuel — $750,000 damage.
NWS: “5 fell in less than 1 hour along the entire length of the San Pedro River from San Manuel to Dudleyville and 3 fell near Dudleyville caused the river to rise rapidly, with a greater than 7 foot rise measured in one hour near Mammoth.”
July 29, 2015: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of San Manuel — $225,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain of 2 inches in an hour caused flash flooding in San Manuel, which caused severe road damage. Public works estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to Avenues A, B, G, and Webb Drive.”
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 San Manuel, 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 San Manuel
- Oracle, AZ10 mi
- Oro Valley, AZ24 mi
- Tucson, AZ32 mi
- Marana, AZ37 mi
- Bylas, AZ38 mi
- Kearny, AZ41 mi
- Vail, AZ41 mi
- Florence, AZ44 mi
- Benson, AZ44 mi
- Red Rock, AZ44 mi
- Willcox, AZ45 mi
- Peridot, AZ46 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare San Manuel with another place →