Santa Cruz County, Arizona severe weather history spans 219 recorded events between 1974 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 37.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,325 nationally and #13 in Arizona.
219
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$13.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Santa Cruz County, Arizona severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Santa Cruz County, Arizona severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 75 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 4 events fall before 1990 and 215 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Santa Cruz County, Arizona record is flash flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $12.4M 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 Santa Cruz County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 83 | 4 | $12.4M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 79 | 0 | $649K | 80 | 1985–2025 |
| Hail | 40 | 0 | $46K | 1.75 | 1974–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $5K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2000–2016 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $180K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EF0 | 2012–2012 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Santa Cruz 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Santa Cruz County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2008 | Flash Flood | NOGALES | 2 | 3 | $600K |
| Jul 26, 2004 | Flash Flood | NOGALES | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Flash Flood | TUMACACORI | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2014 | Lightning | SONOITA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 1997 | Flash Flood | NOGALES | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 1996 | Lightning | TUCSON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2007 | Flash Flood | NOGALES | 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 rainfall on the Mexican side of the border caused flash flooding in the city of Nogales, Arizona. This was caused by a damaged portion of the underground Nogales Wash. Local emergency management reported that water burst through the underground wash onto the surface just across the International Border. The border wall acted as a dam, keeping most of the flooding on the Mexican side. However, some water did flow through the port of entry into downtown Nogales, Arizona. Several businesses in the downtown business district experienced flooding and two illegal immigrants found two days later in the underground wash are also believed to have drowned due to this flooding. In addition, three illegal immigrants in an underground flood channel beneath the international border were rescued.
One inch of rain in less than 90 minutes caused rapid rises in Josephine Canyon. Two teenagers swimming near a waterfall were swept downstream by a rapid rise in the water level. One teenager drowned and another escaped the floodwaters while sustaining minor injuries and was later rescued.
Portions of downtown Nogales experienced flash flooding. Extensive damage occurred to the Nogales Wash, which is a concrete wash that flows through the city of Nogales. City officials estimated damage at $10 million on the U.S. side of the border.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
48,926
Population (ACS)
$233K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 12, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Apr 30, 2002 | Fire | AZ-RYAN-WILDFIRE-4/30/2002 | FM |
| Oct 27, 2000 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 19, 1993 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Nogales 165
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Santa Cruz County, Arizona?
219 events are on record between 1974 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $13.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Santa Cruz County?
Flash Flood, with 83 recorded events — 37.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Santa Cruz County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Santa Cruz County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Santa Cruz County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Santa Cruz 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
- Pinal County 740
- Yavapai County 933
- Pima County 1,714
- Yuma County 339
- Navajo County 340
- Mohave County 1,138
Cite this page
“Santa Cruz County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/santa-cruz-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.