73
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
58
Direct injuries
$37.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Maricopa County, Arizona: 73 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #145 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Maricopa County, Arizona: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Maricopa County is the 1970s, when 16 of the county's 73 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, tornado makes up 2.7% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #145 for this hazard and #1 within Arizona, putting it in the 95.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Maricopa County with 12 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-08-04 | EF3 | 12.0 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-01-17 | EF2 | 2.1 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-21 | EF2 | 13.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-08-30 | EF2 | 4.7 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-09-14 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 27 yd | Touched down here |
| 1968-10-03 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1968-07-04 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-29 | EF1 | 1.4 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1995-02-13 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-23 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 1971 | F2 | 0 | 41 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 22, 1972 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $25.0M | |
| Oct 4, 1968 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jul 21, 1968 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Aug 1, 1969 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 5, 1968 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Sep 8, 1961 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 30, 2010 | WINTERSBURG | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 18, 2025 | AGUILA | EF0 | $50K |
| Sep 27, 2025 | TONOPAH | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | BUCKEYE MUNI ARPT | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 24, 2020 | FT MCDOWELL | EF0 | $0 |
| Nov 29, 2019 | QUEEN CREEK | EF0 | $80K |
| Nov 29, 2019 | HIGLEY | EF0 | $25K |
| Nov 29, 2019 | CACTUS | EF0 | $100K |
| Nov 29, 2019 | SUNNYSLOPE | EF0 | $40K |
| Sep 26, 2019 | FREEMAN | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 23, 2019 | NEW RIVER | EF0 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from Maricopa County
- Thunderstorm Wind 1,519
- Flash Flood 580
- Hail 226
- Heavy Rain 144
- Flood 81
- 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
Eighteen homes sustained damage, 4 with major damage, many trees and signs blown over by tornado. Most damage occurred when the tornado moved east from 59th and Clinton to 72nd and Cholla. Controllers from the nearby Scottsdale Airport watched this tornado move through this ,north Scottsdale residential area.
A National Weather Service Survey Team concluded a weak (F1) tornado occurred at the General Motors Desert Proving Grounds facility. Moderate damage was observed. A roof was damaged and about 20 vehicles were damaged and moved around. One vehicle was lifted, moved several feet, and set down inside a roped off area containing solar exposure equipment. The tornado moved northeast and lasted about five minutes. Damage was initially estimated around $200,000.
A large Pacific upper low moving east across Arizona was accompanied by a strong cold front that moved across the greater Phoenix metropolitan area during the early morning hours on November 29th. Due to high levels of wind shear and instability, the front generated several tornadoes, one of which briefly moved through the community of Queen Creek at around 0450MST. According to a NWS employee, the tornado resulted in moderate damage, downing a number of trees as well as knocking down several power poles. Some roof damage was also noted. Fortunately there were no injuries reported. Damage surveys indicated that the tornado was on the ground less than 10 minutes and had a short path, with a width between 50 and 100 yards.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Maricopa County, Arizona?
73 tornado events are recorded in Maricopa County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Maricopa County?
The strongest tornado on record in Maricopa County measured F3.
Where does the tornado 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
“Tornado in Maricopa County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/maricopa-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.