1,519
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
94
Direct injuries
$451.2M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Maricopa County, Arizona: 1,519 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 100. That places the county #1 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Maricopa County, Arizona: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Maricopa County is the 2020s, when 445 of the county's 1,519 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Maricopa County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 55.3% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1 for this hazard and #1 within Arizona, putting it in the 100.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Maricopa County with 585 recorded events, while Apr is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 1988 | 0 | 1 | 6 | $0 | |
| Sep 5, 2019 | TONOPAH | 61 | 1 | 1 | $75K |
| Aug 22, 2024 | TORTILLA FLAT | 35 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2024 | PHOENIX FARM AERO AR | 65 | 1 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Jul 15, 2001 | SCOTTSDALE | 80 | 1 | 0 | $5.0M |
| Jul 30, 1985 | 61 | 0 | 12 | $0 | |
| Sep 13, 1994 | Cashion | 87 | 0 | 9 | $5.0M |
| Jul 30, 1985 | 70 | 0 | 6 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2025 | PHOENIX TURF ARPT | 35 | $1K |
| Nov 20, 2025 | SUNNYSLOPE | 35 | $2K |
| Nov 20, 2025 | GLENDALE | 35 | $2K |
| Oct 13, 2025 | SCOTTSDALE MUNI | 52 | $5K |
| Oct 13, 2025 | KENDALL | 61 | $300K |
| Oct 13, 2025 | (PHX)SKY HARBOR ARPT | 55 | $3K |
| Oct 13, 2025 | KENDALL | 62 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 2025 | PETERSON | 78 | $1.5M |
| Oct 13, 2025 | KENDALL | 55 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 2025 | PHOENIX DEER VLY ARP | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Maricopa County
- Flash Flood 580
- Hail 226
- Heavy Rain 144
- Flood 81
- Tornado 73
- Lightning 62
- Funnel Cloud 58
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A microburst hit parts of Scottsdale and Tempe with very strong winds and heavy rain. Many homes and businesses sustained damage, with at least 19 power poles blown down. One pole landed on a vehicle near Scottsdale and Indian Bend roads, killing the driver. About 6,000 residents were left without power, including the nearby Radisson Resort. Winds ripped the roofs off four homes in the McCormick Ranch area, and dumped them up to two blocks away. Numerous trees were uprooted.
Large warehouse facility located in the area of West Van Buren Street and North 47th Avenue in Phoenix collapsed with multiple walls and portion of roof missing. A person was trapped underneath the rubble and found deceased approximately 2.5 days later by a search and rescue operations team. Peak wind gust estimated by doppler radar was upwards of 75 mph.
Isolated monsoon thunderstorms developed across the central deserts to the west of Phoenix during the early evening hours on September 4th. One of the more powerful storms produced a strong micro burst with wind speeds estimated to be as high as 70 mph. Local law enforcement reported that downburst winds blew over 6 semi-trailer trucks on Interstate 10 west of the town of Tohopah and 11 miles east of Centennial. As a result, there was one person injured as well as one fatality. The trucks were blown over at about 1936MST.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Maricopa County, Arizona?
1,519 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Maricopa County between 1955 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Maricopa County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Maricopa County measured 100.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Maricopa County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Maricopa County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/maricopa-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.