Tempe, AZ Tornado History — 55 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Tempe, AZ had?
Tempe has had 55 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950.
When was the most recent tornado near Tempe?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Tempe was an EF0 on October 16, 2022.
When is tornado season in Tempe?
August is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Tempe, 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 Tempe
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 10 total, averaging 0.5 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 Tempe been fatal?
No fatalities are on record within 25 miles of Tempe from any of the 55 tornadoes since 1950, though 52 injuries have been reported. NOAA Storm Prediction Center records.
Notable Tornadoes Near Tempe
About Tornadoes in Tempe
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.
Tempe sits in the Salt River Valley of Maricopa County, at the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area, and its tornadoes have tended to arrive with the summer monsoon, when moisture surging into the Sonoran Desert from late June through September fuels severe thunderstorms.
The monsoon seasons of the early 1970s were punishing. On August 31, 1971, an F2 tornado carved a 4.7-mile path up to 400 yards wide, injuring 41 people and causing $2.75 million in property damage, and another F2 touched down on September 15, 1971. The following summer, on June 22, 1972, an F2 tracked 13.5 miles through the area, injuring three people and doing $27.5 million in property damage. An earlier monsoon-season F2, on July 5, 1968, injured two people.
Winter storm systems have produced tornadoes here as well: an F2 on January 17, 1993 ran a 2.1-mile path and caused $2.75 million in damage, and an F1 followed the next day, January 18, 1993.
More recently, EF0 tornadoes touched down on November 29, 2019, and on October 16, 2022 — brief funnels, but proof that the desert Southwest's storms can still put a tornado on the ground in the Valley.