NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Willcox, 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 Willcox, Arizona since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lester in 1992. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 6
- 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 Willcox
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Willcox; the strongest was Lester in 1992, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. Willcox has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 134 Arizona cities on this site. The highest rating among the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 23, 2019, came within 5 miles. Of the 6, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. Of the 134 Arizona cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Willcox. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 9 times since 1979, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 134 Arizona cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Willcox.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Willcox
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | LesterAug 24 | 44 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 Willcox: 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 Willcox
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2019 | EF1 | 5 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 17, 1971 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 2014 | EF0 | 9 mi | 0.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1992 | F0 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1972 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 1966 | F0 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Willcox
The Storm Prediction Center has 9 hail reports within 10 miles of Willcox since 1979. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 25, 2003. The most recent report is from August 21, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Willcox
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Willcox, AZ, 8 miles south of Willcox at 4,170 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 66°F; December is the coolest, at 60°F and 28°F. July is the wettest at 2.6 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 12.4 inches over 31 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 119 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.7 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 12.4 inches is more than at 47 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (62%). Thatcher, 33 miles north, has its own station (Safford Ag Ctr, AZ): 9.0 inches a year, 3.4 less than here, and a July average high of 99°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | 28 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 65 | 32 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 72 | 36 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 79 | 42 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| May | 87 | 50 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 97 | 59 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 96 | 66 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 65 | 2.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 90 | 57 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 82 | 45 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 71 | 34 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 60 | 28 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Year | 79 | 45 | 12.4 | 31 | 1.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Willcox, AZ (4,170 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 Willcox
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 15 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Willcox: 10 thunderstorm wind reports and 5 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 99 mph, on July 25, 2003. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 20 have had fewer than Willcox.
September 23, 2019: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Willcox — 2 injured, $75,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight-line wind damage occurred in and around Willcox. Damage to multiple structures along with multiple downed power poles.”
July 25, 2003: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Willcox — $700,000 damage.
July 17, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Willcox — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A microburst over downtown Willcox caused damage along Haskell Street. A tin roof was blown off one building while part of a roof was peeled off another.”
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 Willcox's ZIP code 85643 have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $58,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 25% 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, 17 have fewer than Willcox.
Cochise County, which includes Willcox, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 fires, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cochise County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $90.8 million a year, the 8th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $44.3 million (49%), 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 Willcox
- Thatcher, AZ33 mi
- Safford, AZ33 mi
- Benson, AZ35 mi
- Pima, AZ38 mi
- San Manuel, AZ45 mi
- Bylas, AZ52 mi
- Vail, AZ52 mi
- Huachuca City, AZ54 mi
- Oracle, AZ55 mi
- Sierra Vista, AZ60 mi
- Fort Huachuca, AZ61 mi
- Tucson, AZ62 mi
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