NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vail, 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 Vail, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 20
- 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 Vail
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Vail; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. Vail has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The strongest of the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on August 27, 1964; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 20, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 16, 2025. Vail has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 134 Arizona cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1971, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Vail has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 134 Arizona cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vail
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 9 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 Vail: 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 Vail
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1960s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 1964 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Jun 23, 1974 | F1 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Jul 2, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1992 | F1 | 22 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 16, 1984 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 1971 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1969 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1961 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 25, 2022 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2015 | EF0 | 7 mi | 0.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 2005 | F0 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 7, 1994 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Vail
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Vail since 1971. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on September 1, 1971. The most recent report is from September 25, 2025. July and August have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vail
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tucson International Airport, AZ, 19 miles northwest of Vail at 2,549 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 100°F and low of 76°F; December is the coolest, at 66°F and 41°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 158 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 12 nights a year. That 10.6 inches is more than at 33 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (43%). Sahuarita, 18 miles west, has its own station (Green Valley, AZ): 12.9 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 99°F against 100°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 41 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 69 | 43 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Mar | 76 | 48 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 83 | 53 | 0.2 | 1 |
| May | 92 | 62 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jun | 101 | 71 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jul | 100 | 76 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Aug | 99 | 75 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Sep | 95 | 70 | 1.3 | 2 |
| Oct | 86 | 59 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Nov | 75 | 48 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Dec | 66 | 41 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Year | 84 | 57 | 10.6 | 25 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tucson International Airport, AZ (2,549 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 Vail
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vail: 38 flash floods, 25 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 77 mph, on July 5, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 18 of 38. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 103 have had fewer than Vail.
September 2, 2011: heavy rain event in Vail — 7 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “An intense thunderstorm produced torrential rainfall along Interstate 10 between mile markers 285 and 292 near the Pima County and Cochise County line. The Arizona Department of Transportation worked six accidents involving a total of nine vehicles resulting in seven non-life-threatening injuries.”
August 17, 2012: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Vail — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused flash flooding along Interstate 10 west of Mescal and ponding of water three feet deep in the Marsh Station Road underpass. One person was injured in a crash on the interstate after the driver lost control of the vehicle in the flood waters.”
July 20, 2013: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Vail — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain of around one inch in less than 30 minutes caused flash flooding across portions of the Tucson metro area. Tucson���s southeast side was hit hard along Houghton Road from Sahuarita Road north to Golf Links Road then west to around Wilmot Road.”
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 Vail, 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 Vail
- Sahuarita, AZ18 mi
- Benson, AZ21 mi
- Green Valley, AZ21 mi
- Tucson, AZ22 mi
- Huachuca City, AZ29 mi
- Oro Valley, AZ35 mi
- Fort Huachuca, AZ39 mi
- Rio Rico, AZ40 mi
- Sierra Vista, AZ41 mi
- San Manuel, AZ41 mi
- Oracle, AZ43 mi
- Nogales, AZ46 mi
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