NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sells, 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 Sells, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 1 tornado has touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 1
- 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 Sells
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sells; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. Sells has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The only tornado within 25 miles was an F0 on April 4, 2004; its path came within 5 miles. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sells. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 1996, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 134 Arizona cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sells.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sells
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 75 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 Sells: 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 Sells
By decade
- 2000s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2004 | F0 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 1 of 1, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sells
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Sells since 1996. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1 inch (quarter size), fell on September 10, 2002. The most recent report is from July 25, 2006.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sells
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kitt Peak, AZ, 20 miles east of Sells at 6,790 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 61°F; December is the coolest, at 50°F and 34°F. August is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and April and May the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 20.0 inches over 36 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from June to July. Lows fall below freezing on about 59 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 20.0 inches is more than at 71 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (93%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 34 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 51 | 34 | 1.5 | 3 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 56 | 37 | 1.5 | 2 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 63 | 42 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.9 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 61 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 60 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 57 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 49 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 58 | 40 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 50 | 34 | 1.9 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Year | 65 | 46 | 20.0 | 36 | 8.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kitt Peak, AZ (6,790 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 Sells
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 31 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sells: 23 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 5 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $405,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on August 7, 2008. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 6. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 25 have had fewer than Sells.
August 3, 2008: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Sells — 3 killed.
NWS: “Swift water rescue was attempted at Sells Wash near Sells. The vehicle was washed away attempting to cross wash.”
August 2, 2005: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Sells — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Two to four inches of rainfall near the Village of Sells, caused several of the washes in the area to flood. A vehicle entered into the Artesa wash, which at the time was running very high with water, and became stuck.”
August 14, 2014: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Sells — 1 killed.
NWS: “Local law enforcement reported that a maintenance worker was struck by lightning while outside the middle school in Sells. The individual was flown to a Tucson area hospital and later succumbed to injuries sustained from the strike.”
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 Sells, 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 Sells
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