NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sanders, 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 Sanders, Arizona since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Sanders
The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 17, 2021, came within 10 miles. Of the 134 Arizona cities on this site, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sanders.
Compare Sanders's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Sanders
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2021 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2005 | F0 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 2003 | F0 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sanders
The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of Sanders since 1955.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sanders
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sanders, AZ, 5 miles north of Sanders at 5,853 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 19°F. August is the wettest at 1.4 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 8.2 inches over 18 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 159 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 8.2 inches is more than at 18 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (24%). Vanderwagen, NM, 30 miles east, has its own station (Gallup Municipal Airport, NM): 10.7 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 19 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 52 | 22 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 60 | 26 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 68 | 31 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 38 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 46 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 56 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 56 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 48 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 37 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 26 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 48 | 19 | 0.7 | 1 | 1.1 |
| Year | 69 | 35 | 8.2 | 18 | 3.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sanders, AZ (5,853 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.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Apache County, which includes Sanders, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 4 fires, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on September 13, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Apache County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.0 million a year, the 13th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.8 million (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 Sanders
- Vanderwagen, NM30 mi
- St. Michaels, AZ32 mi
- Mentmore, NM33 mi
- Gallup, NM37 mi
- Window Rock, AZ39 mi
- Ganado, AZ40 mi
- Saint Johns, AZ42 mi
- Gamerco, NM44 mi
- Yatahey, NM47 mi
- Holbrook, AZ49 mi
- Concho, AZ54 mi
- Snowflake, AZ58 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Sanders with another place →