NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tucson, 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 Tucson, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 26
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Tucson
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tucson; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. Tucson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The highest rating among the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 28, 1994, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on August 27, 1964, killed 2 people. Of the 26, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 9 each. The most recent tornado was on September 16, 2025. Tucson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 134 Arizona cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1957, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Tucson has more hail reports within 10 miles than any other of the 134 Arizona cities.
Compare Tucson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tucson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 30 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 Tucson: 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 Tucson
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s3
- 2000s2
- 1990s5
- 1980s2
- 1970s3
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 1964 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Jul 28, 1994 | F2 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1974 | F1 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Jul 2, 2024 | EF1 | 9 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1992 | F1 | in town | 2.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 24, 1991 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 16, 1984 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 1984 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 1971 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1969 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1961 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 13, 2023 | EF0 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 26, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tucson
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Tucson since 1957, made on 69 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 28, 2002. The most recent report is from October 11, 2025. August and September have the most reports, 23 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tucson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tucson WFO, AZ, in Tucson at 2,435 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 100°F and low of 77°F; December is the coolest, at 65°F and 42°F. August is the wettest at 2.6 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 11.6 inches over 26 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 155 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 5 nights a year. That 11.6 inches is more than at 41 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (54%). Oro Valley, 14 miles north, has its own station (Tucson Camp Ave Exp, AZ): 11.7 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 101°F against 100°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 42 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Feb | 69 | 45 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Mar | 76 | 50 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 83 | 56 | 0.3 | 1 |
| May | 91 | 64 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 101 | 73 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Jul | 100 | 77 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Aug | 98 | 76 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Sep | 95 | 72 | 1.7 | 2 |
| Oct | 86 | 60 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Nov | 75 | 50 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Dec | 65 | 42 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Year | 84 | 59 | 11.6 | 26 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tucson WFO, AZ (2,435 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 Tucson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 471 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tucson: 292 thunderstorm wind reports, 134 flash floods, 33 lightning strikes, 7 heavy rain events and 5 floods. They killed 10 people and injured 25, and the NWS estimated $44.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 94 mph, on July 8, 1996. July has had the most flash floods, 64 of 134. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 129 have had fewer than Tucson.
June 22, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Tucson — 2 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms brought heavy intense rainfall over the Tucson Metro area. 5 inches from Pima County Alert Gauges.”
June 17, 2026: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Tucson — 1 killed, 2 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Swift water rescue reported for two individuals in the Santa Cruz River, with one fatality and two injuries. 5 inches of rainfall fell in multiple locations nearby.”
July 10, 2010: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Tucson — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “Two men were injured due to a lightning strike on a golf course. One man suffered life threatening injuries, which he later died from.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Tucson's 27 ZIP codes have filed 511 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $7.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1983: 98 claims (19% of all) and $979,000. The year with the most claims was 1993, with 69. 19% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 50 Arizona cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 48 have fewer than Tucson.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1983 | 98 | $979,000 |
Pima County, which includes Tucson, 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 Tucson
- Oro Valley, AZ14 mi
- Sahuarita, AZ20 mi
- Vail, AZ22 mi
- Marana, AZ24 mi
- Green Valley, AZ26 mi
- Oracle, AZ29 mi
- San Manuel, AZ32 mi
- Red Rock, AZ34 mi
- Benson, AZ39 mi
- Eloy, AZ48 mi
- Rio Rico, AZ51 mi
- Huachuca City, AZ51 mi
All Arizona cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Tucson with another place →