Fountain Hills, AZ Tornado History — 42 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Fountain Hills, AZ had?
Fountain Hills has had 42 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Fountain Hills?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Fountain Hills was an EF0 on July 24, 2020.
When is tornado season in Fountain Hills?
February is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Fountain Hills, with 6 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Fountain Hills
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 7 total, averaging 0.3 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Have any tornadoes near Fountain Hills been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Fountain Hills from any of the 42 tornadoes since 1950, though 52 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Fountain Hills
About Tornadoes in Fountain Hills
This overview was written July 28, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Fountain Hills sits in Maricopa County's lower Sonoran Desert, tucked against the McDowell Mountains northeast of Phoenix, and its tornado history follows two distinct rhythms: the July-through-September monsoon, when deep moisture surging into central Arizona can spin up brief circulations, and the cool season, when Pacific storm systems track across the state.
Several damaging summer tornadoes stand out. On June 22, 1972, an F2 tornado tracked 13.5 miles on a path just 10 yards wide, injuring 3 people and causing $27.5 million in property damage. A year earlier, on August 31, 1971, another F2 carved a 4.7-mile path up to 400 yards wide, injuring 41 people and causing $2.75 million in damage. An F2 on July 5, 1968 injured 2 people along a short 0.1-mile track.
The cool season has produced its own events: an F2 on January 17, 1993 ran 2.1 miles and caused $2.75 million in property damage, and F1 and F0 touchdowns appear in January and February 1992 and again in February 1995. In more recent years the area's tornadoes have been weaker: EF0s touched down on March 1, 2014, August 4, 2017, July 30, 2019, and July 24, 2020, along with multiple EF0 touchdowns on November 29, 2019 — a late-autumn cluster in keeping with the desert Southwest's cool-season storm pattern.