Tanque Verde, AZ Tornado History — 19 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Tanque Verde, AZ had?
Tanque Verde has had 19 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Tanque Verde?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Tanque Verde was an Unrated on September 16, 2025.
When is tornado season in Tanque Verde?
July is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Tanque Verde, with 7 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 Tanque Verde
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 6 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
Casualties on Record Near Tanque Verde
3 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Tanque Verde since 1950, across 2 events. 51 injuries have been reported across all events. 1964 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F2 on August 27, 1964, which caused 2 fatalities along a 0.1-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Tanque Verde
About Tornadoes in Tanque Verde
This overview was written April 23, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Since 1950, nineteen tornadoes have been recorded within 25 miles of Tanque Verde, Arizona, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. This relatively modest total reflects the desert Southwest's generally lower tornado frequency compared to the central and southeastern United States, though the area is not immune to these events. The majority of recorded tornadoes have been weak, with eight rated EF0 and six rated EF1, while two reached EF2 intensity and three remain unrated in historical records.
Tornado activity in the Tanque Verde area shows considerable variation by decade. The 1950s and 1980s each saw only a single tornado, while the 1960s and 1970s each recorded three events. Activity increased somewhat in the 1990s with four tornadoes, then declined again in the 2000s and 2010s with one tornado per decade. The 2020s have seen a notable uptick with five tornadoes recorded through 2025, though this remains a small sample size for drawing long-term conclusions.
July stands out as the peak month for tornado occurrence, accounting for seven of the nineteen recorded events. This pattern aligns with the North American monsoon season, when increased moisture and atmospheric instability create conditions more favorable for severe thunderstorms across southern Arizona. The deadliest tornado on record struck on August 27, 1964, an F2 event that caused two fatalities, inflicted $27,500 in property damage, and traveled a brief 0.1-mile path with a maximum width of just 10 yards. The costliest tornado occurred on July 7, 1992, when an F1 tornado caused $2.75 million in damage along a 2.8-mile track.
More recent activity includes an EF1 tornado on July 3, 2024, which holds the distinction of being both the widest and longest-tracked tornado in the area's recorded history, with a maximum width of 150 yards and a path length of 3.3 miles. This event caused $50,000 in damage. The most recent tornado, an unrated event on September 16, 2025, caused no damage and traveled an extremely short path of less than 0.1 miles with a maximum width of only one yard.