Graham County, Arizona severe weather history spans 180 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,549 nationally and #14 in Arizona.
180
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Graham County, Arizona severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Graham County, Arizona severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 56 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 165 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Graham County, Arizona record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $1.5M 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 Graham County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 104 | 0 | $1.1M | 69 | 1974–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 49 | 1 | $806K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Hail | 19 | 0 | $1.5M | 4 | 1958–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2019–2021 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EF0 | 2015–2015 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Graham County, Arizona severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-07-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Graham County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2021 | Flash Flood | PIMA | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 30, 2019 | Lightning | PIMA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain of 2 to 2.5 fell in less than 2 hours between the Pinaleno Mountains and Highway 70 west of Safford. This caused flash flooding of roads in the Pima area and significant rises in Cottonwood Wash. A large SUV which was attempting to cross the wash and carrying two adults and four children was swept away in the floodwaters. A four-year old girl drown during the rescue attempt. Her body was found four days later downstream in the Gila River near Eden.
One inch diameter hail began around 2300 LST as a large thunderstorm moved through Safford. The storm eventually produced hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter. Homes, vehicles and property were damaged throughout Safford and Solomon. Copious amounts of smaller hail fell for 20 minutes in some locations, causing accumulations of up to 6. In many spots, the hail did not melt overnight and was still piled up on roads, sidewalks and yards the following morning. In addition, where hail broke windows, rain and additional hail entered buildings causing water damage. This caused some schools in Safford to remain closed for two weeks until repairs were completed. The hailstorm also wiped out around 4000 acres of cotton crop, with several million dollars of loss estimated. Graham County issued a disaster declaration in the wake of the storm.
Thunderstorm winds caused considerable damage near the junction of Highways 70 and 191 in Safford. Two hotel marquis signs were blown down. A large roof extending to the side of a building near a skate park was damaged and an attached tall block wall also fell. A wall south of this property where an animal shelter was located blew down along with a power line that caused a funeral home's cold storage unit to lose power. Damage extended several blocks south to 15th St. where the roof was peeled off an apartment complex. allowing rain to enter one unit. A few other buildings in Safford sustained moderate roof damage and solid fencing partitions were blown down. Several trees were blown down, some of which caused additional roof damage. causing roof damage. Some other tree/power line damage in other parts of town. A recreational vehicle was flipped on its side 5 miles south of Safford. The ASOS at Safford Municipal Airport measured a gust to 68 mph at 1545MST.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,232
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 7, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 12, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Apr 14, 2005 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 19, 1993 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Graham County, Arizona?
180 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $3.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Graham County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 104 recorded events — 57.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Graham County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Graham County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Graham County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Graham County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Graham County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Graham 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
- Gila County 535
- Greenlee County 55
- La Paz County 252
- Coconino County 781
- Maricopa County 2,748
- Cochise County 612
Cite this page
“Graham County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/graham-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.