Pinal County, Arizona

What hazards hit Pinal County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 409 since 1955. 74% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in July and August. 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.

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 Pinal County had?

NOAA records 30 tornadoes in Pinal County from 1960 to 2024, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 13 injuries recorded in the county. That is 2nd of 15 Arizona counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 30 tornadoes whose track touched Pinal County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 30, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Arizona.

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 Pinal County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 20, 2026 heat (1 death).

Temperatures in Southeastern Arizona was 2 degrees above normal with Minor HeatRisk. The Pima County Medical Examiner found that heat was the primary factor in the death of an individual in Sells. The Sells RAWS recorded a high temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1353658)

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

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 Pinal 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

74% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in July and August. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Pinal County

FEMA's register lists 23 declarations that include Pinal County: 10 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 10 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (10) and flood (6).

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 Pinal County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 157 flood or flash flood records for Pinal County from 1996 to 2025, on 117 days, with 5 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Pinal County ranks 1085th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $3.5 million on 150 claims filed in Pinal County; the most in one year was 18 in 1983. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Pinal County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pinal County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $137 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Pinal County

1. Maricopa County 4,461
2. Pima County 2,809
3. Pinal County 1,633
4. Gila County 780
5. Graham County 597

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
• Severe thunderstorm wind in ArizonaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, 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 Pinal CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Pinal County's FEMA declarations (CSV)23 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis