Pinal County, Arizona severe weather history spans 740 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #359 nationally and #6 in Arizona.
740
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
71
Direct injuries
$36.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Pinal County, Arizona severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pinal County, Arizona severe weather history averages 10.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 242 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 77 events fall before 1990 and 663 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pinal County, Arizona record is flash flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $14.7M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Pinal County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 409 | 3 | $14.7M | 87 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 131 | 5 | $7.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 78 | 0 | $120K | 2 | 1961–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 44 | 0 | $400K | 0 | 2004–2018 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $3.7M | F1 | 1960–2024 |
| Flood | 26 | 0 | $9.0M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 9 | 1 | $1.6M | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2020–2025 |
| Dust Devil | 2 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
Decade by decade
Pinal County, Arizona severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-01-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-11-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-07-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-09-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 8 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pinal County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 17 | $0 | |
| Sep 9, 2006 | Flash Flood | FLORENCE JCT | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Casa Grande | 1 | 2 | $500K |
| Oct 22, 2000 | Lightning | CASA GRANDE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 8, 2014 | Flash Flood | CAMP BONITO | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Jul 30, 2012 | Flash Flood | BAPCHULE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2003 | Flash Flood | ORACLE | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 13, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 15 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A Gilbert man and his 9-year-old son drowned Saturday crossing a wash flooded with up to 6 feet of water. A Pinal county Sherif's Office spokesman said they were on an unmaintained road when they reached the wash about 2:30 pm and entered it. The current rolled the SUV. Two other occupants escaped the vehicle and clung to a tree until help arrived.
A severe thunderstorm moved into the far northern part of the city of Casa Grande, and overturned a mobile home which pinned a small child underneath. The little girl later died of her injuries. The very strong thunderstorm winds also downed power lines and blew down a medium-size pine tree. Heavy rains also flooded part of Interstate 10 near mile post 190, and a subdivision had to be cordoned off due to high waters. (F03M)
Around 1.50 to 1.75 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes, with isolated reports of 1.90 inches. The Bonito Wash flooded several homes in the Campo Bonito area. Along the Canada del Oro Wash, the Rancho Solano gauge recorded a 9 foot rise of water. Several houses sustained flood damage. To compound the problem of the fast rising water, two culverts at a bridge downstream became blocked.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
469,006
Population (ACS)
$349K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2025 | Fire | CODY FIRE | FM |
| Jul 9, 2024 | Fire | SHAKE FIRE | FM |
| May 29, 2024 | Fire | SIMMONS FIRE | FM |
| Jun 6, 2021 | Fire | TELEGRAPH FIRE | FM |
| Apr 8, 2021 | Fire | MARGO FIRE | FM |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lirim 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pinal County, Arizona?
740 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 9 direct deaths and $36.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pinal County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 409 recorded events — 55.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pinal County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pinal County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pinal County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pinal County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pinal County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pinal 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
- Pima County 1,714
- Santa Cruz County 219
- Navajo County 340
- Yavapai County 933
- Mohave County 1,138
- Yuma County 339
Cite this page
“Pinal County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/pinal-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.