La Paz County, Arizona
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 04012 · population 16,451 · 4,497 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 430 records for La Paz County, Arizona from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 245 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (133 records). The deadliest single record is the July 11, 2023 excessive heat, filed for the forecast zone Central La Paz, which covers the county: 7 deaths. FEMA has issued 7 declarations naming the county since 1983, 5 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms and Flooding” on November 5, 2014.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 430on 245 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 307 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $404Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 1strongest EF0
- FEMA declarations
- 7latest 2020
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit La Paz County most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 133 since 1996. 72% of its floods and flash floods since 1996 fell in August and September. The rank column places the county among Arizona's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 133 | 87 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 0 | $21M | 9 of 15 |
| Heat | 122 | 54 | 2013-2024 | 27 | 0 | – | 7 of 15 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 95 | 74 | 1983-2024 | 0 | 5 | $2.7M | 9 of 15 |
| High wind and dust storms | 43 | 34 | 1996-2024 | 1 | 2 | $464K | 12 of 15 |
| Heavy rain | 10 | 9 | 2006-2016 | 0 | 0 | $8K | 10 of 15 |
| Hail | 9 | 7 | 1997-2018 | 0 | 0 | $33K | 15 of 15 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 8 | 8 | 2004-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 of 15 |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 2 | 2011-2013 | 0 | 0 | $12M | 12 of 15 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2005-2009 | 0 | 0 | $17K | 12 of 15 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | 1997-1997 | 0 | 0 | $368M | 1 of 15 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 1 | 2022-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 15 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 2018-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 of 15 |
| Winter storms | 1 | 1 | 1997-1997 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 of 15 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has La Paz County had?
NOAA records 1 tornado in La Paz County from 2018 to 2018, the strongest rated EF0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 1 tornado whose track touched La Paz County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 1, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Arizona.
Every tornado record filed for La Paz County (1)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-10-13 | Quartzsite Airport, La Paz County | EF0 0.01 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in La Paz County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 30, 2024 heat (1 death).
One direct fatality was reported in La Paz County, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1297567)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-18 | Flash FloodWall, La Paz County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-15 | Flash FloodBouse, La Paz County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-02 | Flash FloodUtting, La Paz County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-04 | Flash FloodParker, La Paz County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-30 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-27 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-26 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-12 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-10 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-09 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-05-20 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-05-16 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-11 | Excessive HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz Seven heat associated fatalities (5 direct and 2 indirect) were reported in La Paz County, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable. | 7 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-07-25 | Excessive HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz Five heat-associated fatalities (3 direct and 2 indirect) were reported in La Paz County, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable. | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-26 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz Two heat-associated fatalities (1 direct and 1 indirect) were reported in La Paz County, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-08-05 | Excessive HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz Two direct fatalities were reported in La Paz County, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-08-15 | Dust StormLa Paz County · forecast zone West Central Deserts Isolated thunderstorms developed across portions of La Paz county during the early afternoon on August 15th and due to limited moisture and very hot temperatures, they generated gusty outflow winds reaching as least as high as 40 mph. The gusty winds created dense blowing dust which lowered visibility to near zero ... | 1 | 1 | $184K | |
| 2024-06-30 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz One direct fatality was reported in La Paz County, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-27 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz One direct fatality was reported in La Paz County, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-06-12 | HeatLa Paz County · forecast zone Central La Paz One indirect fatality was reported in La Paz County, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable. | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-09-25 | Tropical StormLa Paz County · forecast zone Lower Colorado River Valley | 0 | 0 | $368M | |
| 2000-10-22 | Flash FloodWenden, La Paz County | 1 | 0 | $12M | |
| 2010-01-22 | FloodHarcuvar, La Paz County | 0 | 0 | $6.8M | |
| 2013-01-12 | Frost/FreezeLa Paz County · forecast zone West Central Deserts | 0 | 0 | $6.5M | |
| 2013-01-12 | Frost/FreezeLa Paz County · forecast zone Lower Colorado River Valley | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2003-09-02 | Thunderstorm WindQuartzsite, La Paz County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $321K |
| 2011-02-02 | Frost/FreezeLa Paz County and Yuma County · forecast zone Southwest Deserts | 0 | 0 | $262K | |
| 2013-09-10 | FloodHarcuvar, La Paz County | 0 | 0 | $253K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for La Paz County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 11 | 8 | 62 | 52 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 26 | 96 z |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 26 | 32 | 14 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 9 | 19 | 11 |
| Heavy rain | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
Heat in the 2020-26: 96 records against 26 in the decade before, 96 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the La Paz County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
72% of its floods and flash floods since 1996 fell in August and September. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 7 · Feb 6 · Mar 4 · Apr 6 · May 11 · Jun 31 · Jul 98 · Aug 164 · Sep 83 · Oct 9 · Nov 6 · Dec 5 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for La Paz County
FEMA's register lists 7 declarations that include La Paz County: 5 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for biological (2) and flood (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4524 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3442 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2014-11-05 | DR-4203 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2010-03-18 | DR-1888 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-12 | EM-3241 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2000-10-27 | DR-1347 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1983-07-01 | DR-686 | Flood | Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has La Paz County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 133 flood or flash flood records for La Paz County from 1996 to 2025, on 87 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), La Paz County ranks 1245th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.1 million on 113 claims filed in La Paz County; the most in one year was 71 in 1983. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1980: 2 · 1981: 1 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 71 · 1984: 7 · 1985: 1 · 1986: 5 · 1987: 2 · 1992: 1 · 1993: 3 · 2000: 2 · 2004: 1 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 3 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 2 · 2012: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2026: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for La Paz County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates La Paz County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $27.5 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $24M | 2.9 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.7M | 16 modeled event-days a year |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $512K | 66 modeled event-days a year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $801K | once in about 28 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $94K | once in about 1,513 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $93K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $1K | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | $4 | once in about 10,000 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with La Paz County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in ArizonaEvery Arizona tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Floods in ArizonaThe state's floods and flash floods, by county, year and month
- The Arizona recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in La Paz CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download La Paz County's FEMA declarations (CSV)7 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis