91
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$562K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Gila County, Arizona: 91 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #2,319 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Gila County, Arizona: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Gila County is the 2010s, when 31 of the county's 91 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 Gila County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 17.0% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,319 for this hazard and #10 within Arizona, putting it in the 26.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Gila County with 41 recorded events, while Feb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 1990 | 0 | 6 | 0 | $0 | |
| Aug 8, 1997 | PAYSON | 60 | 0 | 3 | $4K |
| Aug 7, 2000 | GLOBE | 0 | 0 | 1 | $5K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2025 | SAN CARLOS | 54 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2024 | PUNKIN CENTER | 50 | $5K |
| Jul 21, 2024 | PINE | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2024 | YOUNG | 55 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2024 | SAN CARLOS | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2024 | PUNKIN CENTER | 64 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2022 | ROOSEVELT GRPVN ARPT | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2022 | MIAMI | 50 | $1K |
| Oct 12, 2021 | PUNKIN CENTER | 53 | $0 |
| Oct 5, 2021 | ROOSEVELT | 55 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Gila County
- Flash Flood 231
- Heavy Rain 88
- Hail 74
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong thunderstorms affected the community of San Carlos during the late afternoon hours on August 12th. Damaging microburst winds were produced by the storms. According to local law enforcement personnel, gusty winds estimated to be around 60 knots blew down numerous power poles in and around San Carlos. In addition, the strong winds blew down a number of trees in the community.
Scattered thunderstorms developed across the higher terrain northeast of Phoenix during the afternoon hours on September 1st. Some of the stronger storms generated gusty and damaging outflow winds that impacted the Lake Roosevelt area. According to the Gila County Sheriff's Office, at 1607MST gusty winds estimated to be at least 65 mph in strength caused 3 boats to sink on Lake Roosevelt. Fortunately there were no reports of injuries.
Strengthening southeasterly monsoonal flow imported increasing moisture into southern Gila County and as a result isolated to scatted thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon hours. Some of the storms generated strong and gusty outflow winds which affected Roosevelt Lake. Wind gusts estimated to be nearly 70 mph created 3 to 4 foot swells along the southern periphery of Roosevelt Lake, about 2 miles east of the town of Roosevelt. According to the Tonto Basin Fire Department and Rescue, the large swells knocked a number of boats into the shore and numerous people were knocked into the water as a result. The Tonto Basin Fire Department then performed multiple rescues of the affected people.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Gila County, Arizona?
91 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Gila County between 1961 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Gila County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Gila County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Gila 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 Gila County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/gila-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.