Maricopa County, Arizona severe weather history spans 2,748 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #3 nationally and #1 in Arizona.
2,748
Recorded events
26
Direct deaths
182
Direct injuries
$3.4B
Property damage
The record
What the Maricopa County, Arizona severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Maricopa County, Arizona severe weather history averages 39.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 896 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 290 events fall before 1990 and 2,458 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Maricopa County, Arizona record is flash flood, responsible for 15 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $2.8B in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Maricopa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,519 | 5 | $451.2M | 100 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 580 | 15 | $57.4M | 2 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 226 | 0 | $2.8B | 3 | 1960–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 144 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 81 | 4 | $9.5M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 73 | 0 | $37.6M | F3 | 1955–2025 |
| Lightning | 62 | 2 | $3.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 58 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Dust Devil | 5 | 0 | $17K | 0 | 1997–2018 |
Decade by decade
Maricopa County, Arizona severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
70 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 69 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-08-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-01-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-21 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 13.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-08-30 | EF2 | 0 | 41 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-09-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-10-03 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-07-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-02-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Maricopa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 1998 | Flash Flood | SUNFLOWER | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 2020 | Flash Flood | TORTILLA FLAT | 2 | 3 | $10K |
| Apr 1, 2023 | Flood | GOMEZ ARPT | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2021 | Flash Flood | CAREFREE | 2 | 0 | $20K |
| Aug 14, 2021 | Flash Flood | (GBN)GILA BEND MUNI | 2 | 0 | $25.0M |
| Aug 10, 2005 | Flash Flood | NEW RIVER | 2 | 0 | $300K |
| Jul 11, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 6 | $0 | |
| Dec 15, 1998 | Lightning | PARADISE VLY | 1 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three members of a Boy Scout troop perished after their sport utility vehicle was swept out from under them. The scouts tried to cross a running wash near Sunflower. Occasionally heavy rain showers persisted in the area throughout the afternoon and early evening.
Heavy rains from widespread thunderstorms caused flash flood waters to over-flow washes from New River east to the Seven Springs area and Camp Creek. Rainfall runoff was higher than normal in the Cave Creek Complex area and contributed significantly to the rapid flooding. The first fatality involved a pickup truck with a horse trailer; the driver attempted to drive on a flooded road and the vehicle was swept away drowning the driver. The second fatality involved a seven year old girl who was being evacuated from a home along Camp Creek. The rescuer and the young girl attempted to cross the flooded creek on foot where the girl slipped from the grasp of the adult and was swept away and drowned.
According to local media reports, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office found two people had perished inside an ATV that was buried in mud and debris downstream in Camp Creek. MCSO was notified and began searching for the missing people around 1600MST on the 18th but did not recover the ATV until 0800MST on the 19th. Media reported that other recreationists were successfully rescued from the area, including a father and daughter who were trapped near Needle Rock Recreation Site and had to be rescued by helicopter. A Camp Creek rain gauge recorded 3.54 inches of rain between 1300MST and 1420MST. The Rackensack Canyon rain gauge measured 3.83 inches of rain between 1250MST and 1430MST. The Maricopa County Flood Control District also reported that Bartlett Dam Road was closed due to swiftly flowing water over the roadway from Camp Creek.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,559,748
Population (ACS)
$453K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2024 | Fire | BOULDER VIEW FIRE | FM |
| Jun 12, 2024 | Fire | ROSE FIRE | FM |
| Jun 28, 2023 | Fire | DIAMOND FIRE | FM |
| Jun 27, 2020 | Fire | AVONDALE FIRE | FM |
| Jun 23, 2020 | Fire | AQUILA FIRE | FM |
| Jun 20, 2020 | Fire | BUSH FIRE | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- New River 247
- Phoenix Turf Arpt 180
- Phoenix 174
- Cave Creek 160
- Mesa 135
- Scottsdale 130
- Mobile 126
- Phoenix Deer Vly Arp 126
- Scottsdale Muni 120
- Tonopah 110
- Paradise Vly 104
- Liberty 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Maricopa County, Arizona?
2,748 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 26 direct deaths and $3.4B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Maricopa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 1,519 recorded events — 55.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Maricopa County?
70 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 69 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Maricopa County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Maricopa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Maricopa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Maricopa County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Maricopa 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
- La Paz County 252
- Greenlee County 55
- Mohave County 1,138
- Graham County 180
- Navajo County 340
- Gila County 535
Cite this page
“Maricopa County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/maricopa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.