La Paz County, Arizona severe weather history spans 252 recorded events between 1983 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 49.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,090 nationally and #11 in Arizona.
252
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$14.7M
Property damage
The record
What the La Paz County, Arizona severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, La Paz County, Arizona severe weather history averages 6.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 247 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the La Paz County, Arizona record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in La Paz County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 125 | 2 | $7.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 95 | 0 | $2.1M | 75 | 1983–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 2006–2016 |
| Hail | 9 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1997–2018 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $5.2M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 2005–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2019 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EF0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
La Paz County, Arizona severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-07-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in La Paz County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 2008 | Flash Flood | BOUSE | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Oct 22, 2000 | Flash Flood | WENDEN | 1 | 0 | $6.2M |
| Jul 27, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | VICKSBURG | 0 | 5 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
In the early morning hours of Sunday October 22, a large low pressure area dumped four to six inches of rain over parts of eastern LaPaz and western Maricopa County. This caused flash flooding in the upper part of the Centennial Wash between the Harcuvar and Harquahala mountain ranges. The heavy runoff flowed into the town of Wenden where water ran over the highway 60 bridge. At its peak the wash was about 3/8ths of a mile wide and 12 feet deep. The resulting high water surged through the town of Wenden with at least 400 residents evacuated. There was extensive damage to the town and for many miles downstream. The reported flow was in excess of 20,000 cfs. When the flood hit Wenden, it inundated some mobile homes, causing them to lift off their foundations and float down the wash. An estimated 125 mobile homes were affected. One migrant worker was killed when flood waters swept through the town during the early morning hours. Additional heavy rainfall hit this area several days later and complicated relief efforts for many of the homeless.
A vehicle with 5 women was swept away as it was caught in raging flood waters along route 72, about a mile and a half southeast of Bouse. One woman died and her body was found about 7 miles away. An RV was also stranded by flood waters in the same wash at the same time.
Flood waters mainly from the Centennial Wash moved through Wenden in the early morning hours. Law enforcement began evacuating people before waters closed the local streets and roads. About 200 people took shelter at a local high school. Flood waters up to 6 feet deep took out power poles, telephone poles, trees, damaged roads and homes. The entire town of Wenden was underwater for several days. Power was restored in most areas within 2 weeks. Generally, about 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in the watershed area during the week of January 18-22.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,664
Population (ACS)
$136K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 5, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 18, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 12, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Oct 27, 2000 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Bouse 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in La Paz County, Arizona?
252 events are on record between 1983 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $14.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in La Paz County?
Flash Flood, with 125 recorded events — 49.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed La Paz County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover La Paz County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include La Paz County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is La Paz County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates La Paz County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the La Paz County, Arizona severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Greenlee County 55
- Maricopa County 2,748
- Graham County 180
- Mohave County 1,138
- Gila County 535
- Navajo County 340
Cite this page
“La Paz County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/la-paz-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.