NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thatcher, 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 Thatcher, 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 Thatcher
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Thatcher; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. Thatcher 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 EF0 on July 31, 2015; its path came within 4 miles. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Thatcher. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 12 times since 1958, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Thatcher has more hail reports within 10 miles than 55% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Thatcher
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 71 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 Thatcher: 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 Thatcher
By decade
- 2010s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2015 | EF0 | 4 mi | 0.58 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 Thatcher
The Storm Prediction Center has 12 hail reports within 10 miles of Thatcher since 1958. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on March 12, 1958. The most recent report is from August 7, 2023. August and September have the most reports, 3 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Thatcher
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Safford Ag Ctr, AZ, 5 miles east of Thatcher at 2,954 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 99°F and low of 69°F; December is the coolest, at 61°F and 30°F. August is the wettest at 1.8 inches of precipitation on average and April and May the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 9.0 inches over 22 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 141 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 70 nights a year. That 9.0 inches is more than at 27 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (36%). Pima, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Fort Thomas 2 SW, AZ): 10.3 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 100°F against 99°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62 | 30 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Feb | 67 | 34 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 74 | 39 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Apr | 83 | 46 | 0.2 | 1 |
| May | 91 | 54 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 100 | 63 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Jul | 99 | 69 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Aug | 97 | 68 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Sep | 93 | 61 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Oct | 84 | 48 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Nov | 72 | 37 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Dec | 61 | 30 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Year | 82 | 48 | 9.0 | 22 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Safford Ag Ctr, AZ (2,954 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 Thatcher
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Thatcher: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 29, 1996. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 70 have had fewer than Thatcher.
July 22, 2021: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Thatcher — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
July 29, 2019: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Thatcher — 1 injured.
NWS: “A child was injured while swimming in Cluff Lake after lightning struck the water.”
September 5, 2021: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Thatcher — $500,000 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
Graham County, which includes Thatcher, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Graham County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.2 million a year, the 14th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.0 million (50%), 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 Thatcher
- Safford, AZ4 mi
- Pima, AZ8 mi
- Bylas, AZ32 mi
- Willcox, AZ33 mi
- San Manuel, AZ51 mi
- Peridot, AZ54 mi
- Oracle, AZ60 mi
- Benson, AZ64 mi
- Lordsburg, NM68 mi
- Kearny, AZ73 mi
- Oro Valley, AZ75 mi
- Globe, AZ76 mi
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