Yavapai County, Arizona severe weather history spans 933 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 34.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #183 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
933
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$35.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Yavapai County, Arizona severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Yavapai County, Arizona severe weather history averages 12.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 347 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 899 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Yavapai County, Arizona record is flash flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $19.6M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Yavapai County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 318 | 5 | $10.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 183 | 1 | $19.6M | 4.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 163 | 0 | $3.0M | 100 | 1961–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 159 | 0 | $165K | 1.5 | 2000–2025 |
| Flood | 32 | 0 | $501K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 29 | 0 | $782K | F3 | 1952–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 29 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Lightning | 14 | 0 | $330K | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Dust Devil | 3 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2014–2020 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 2.2 | 1996–2002 |
Decade by decade
Yavapai County, Arizona severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-08-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-09-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 26.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-11-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-07-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-09-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-06-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Yavapai County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 18, 2025 | Flash Flood | CORDES | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2021 | Flash Flood | SMELTER CITY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | Flash Flood | MONTEZUMA CASTLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2013 | Flash Flood | (PRC)PRESCOTT ARPT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 23, 2005 | Hail | CORDES JUNCTION | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2004 | Flash Flood | DEWEY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Hail | PRESCOTT | 0 | 2 | $18.0M |
| Aug 9, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | PRESCOTT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Law enforcement reported a car with 2 men trapped in floodwaters in Big Bug Creek at Cordes Lakes. One man was rescued while the other was swept away. The vehicle was later found lodged against a tree about 2 miles from the point of entry into the water. The second occupant was found deceased two days later at the confluence of Big Bug Creek with the Agua Fria River, about 6 miles from where he and his vehicle were last seen.
Flood waters swept a vehicle away in a low water crossing on Camino Real near Rocky Knolls Road. The flood water was estimated to be 8 feet deep. The body of the driver was found several days later at the confluence with the Verde River.
Two young boys fell into the Agua Fria River after it had become flooded with runoff from several thunderstorms in the area. The river bed is usually dry. The older brother was rescued. The younger brother was found laying on the bank about a mile and a half downstream. Attempts to revive the him were unsuccessful.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
245,480
Population (ACS)
$425K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2022 | Fire | CROOKS FIRE | FM |
| May 27, 2021 | Fire | SPUR FIRE | FM |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 11, 2018 | Fire | 89 EAST FIRE | FM |
| Jun 25, 2017 | Fire | GOODWIN FIRE | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cordes 177
- Mayer 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Yavapai County, Arizona?
933 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $35.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Yavapai County?
Flash Flood, with 318 recorded events — 34.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Yavapai County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Yavapai County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Yavapai County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Yavapai County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Yavapai County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Yavapai 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
- Santa Cruz County 219
- Yuma County 339
- Pinal County 740
- Pima County 1,714
- Navajo County 340
- Mohave County 1,138
Cite this page
“Yavapai County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/yavapai-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.