Arizona high wind and dust storms
Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 15 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,882 high wind and dust records in Arizona from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 68 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the March 1, 2025 dust storm in Maricopa County: 4 deaths, 8 injuries and $301,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 3 records. Arizona ranks 26th of 52 states and territories by count and 42nd of 51 per square mile.
High wind and dust storms in Arizona, 1996 to 2026
Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1,8821996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 68average
- Deaths
- 36301 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $28Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2022215 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are high wind and dust records common in Arizona?
Arizona averages about 68 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 26th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (215). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Arizona records 166 high wind and dust records since 1996, 42nd of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Arizona have the most high wind and dust records?
Per square mile, Pinal County leads Arizona: 187 days with a high wind record since 1996, 34.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Coconino County has the most wind records (369 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the windy season in Arizona?
Arizona's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is April (312 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 71 · Feb 176 · Mar 203 · Apr 312 · May 186 · Jun 89 · Jul 241 · Aug 206 · Sep 111 · Oct 126 · Nov 58 · Dec 103 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Arizona?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-01 | Dust StormMaricopa County · forecast zone Tonopah Desert One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A potent low pressure system moved through the Desert Southwest, generating strong winds across much of the region. Peak afternoon and early evening wind gusts upwards of 25-40 mph out of the south were observed across much of south-central AZ. The combination of the strong winds and the very dry soil conditions led ... | 4 | 8 | $301K | |
| 2009-12-22 | Dust StormPinal County · forecast zone Central Deserts A sudden drop in visibility due to local blowing dust contributed to a massive pileup in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 on Tuesday morning. Winds at the time of the accident were estimated to be about 40 mph. About 9 trucks and 13 automobiles were involved in the accidents. Some vehicles caught on fire. Three ... | 3 | 14 | – | |
| 2013-10-29 | Dust StormPinal County · forecast zone South Central Pinal County Antecedent dry conditions along with gusty winds of about 20 to 25 mph produced localized dense blowing dust that reduced visibility to near zero in parts of Pinal County. This localized blowing dust resulted in a multiple vehicle chain-reaction accident along Interstate 10 near Picacho at mile marker 214. The ... | 3 | 12 | $633K | |
| 2006-02-15 | Dust StormPinal County · forecast zone Nw Pinal Near zero visibility due to blowing dust, also described as a temporary blackout, contributed to two traffic pileups on a stretch of Interstate 8 west of Casa Grande. | 2 | 13 | – | |
| 2009-11-28 | Dust StormPinal County · forecast zone Southeast Pinal County Local areas of blowing dust along Interstate 10 resulted in several vehicle collisions near the Casa Grande and Eloy areas during the morning hours. A fatal collision occurred at approximately 10:30 AM near mile marker 213, between a mini-van and tractor/trailer. Locally dense blowing dust reduced visibility, causing ... | 2 | 1 | $138K | |
| 1999-03-31 | High WindNavajo County · forecast zone Little Colorado River Valley In Navajo County | 2 | 0 | $44K | |
| 1998-04-23 | High WindPima County · forecast zone X Wc Mohave Strong winds on Lake Mead, near Kingman Wash, apparently capsized a small sail boat carrying two men. The exact time of the incident was not known, but was believed to have occurred during the afternoon or early evening. The Coroner's report revealed that the boaters, who were not discovered until the following ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-05-26 | Strong WindMohave County · forecast zone X Wc Mohave Two drownings at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. 32YO female fell off a personal watercraft near Princess Cove, AZ on Lake Mohave, and 21YO male fell off a small boat at an unknown location. Strong winds contributed to both deaths. | 30 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 2006-05-21 | Strong WindMohave County · forecast zone X Wc Mohave Two drownings at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. 69YO female fell off a personal watercraft near Temple Bar, and 4YO female fell off a raft near South Telephone Cove. Strong winds contributed to both drownings. | 35 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 2003-01-06 | Dust StormCochise County · forecast zone Cochise County Strong winds caused a dust storm around 10:40 am along Interstate 10 near San Simon. The near zero visibilities caused an eight vehicle pile up on westbound Interstate 10 at mile post 371.8 near San Simon. The vehicles involved in the accident included two cars, a tractor trailer rig, a motorcycle, a motor home, and a ... | 1 | 25 | $103K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest high wind and dust records in Arizona
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-09 | Strong WindCochise County and Pima County · forecast zone Upper San Pedro River Valley | 41 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $15M |
| 2009-12-07 | High WindCochise County · forecast zone Cochise County | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 2013-10-29 | Dust StormPinal County · forecast zone South Central Pinal County | 3 | 12 | $633K | |
| 2016-04-28 | Dust StormCochise County · forecast zone Eastern Cochise County Below 5000 Feet | 0 | 3 | $615K | |
| 2009-12-07 | High WindYavapai County · forecast zone Yavapai County Mountains | 64 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $550K |
| 2010-01-21 | High WindYuma County · forecast zone Yuma/Martinez Lake And Vicinity | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $406K |
| 1997-07-10 | Dust StormMaricopa County · forecast zone Southeast Pinal | 0 | 25 | $368K | |
| 2011-10-04 | Dust StormPinal County · forecast zone South Central Pinal County | 1 | 15 | $328K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Arizona?
Arizona's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Arizona | United States | Arizona's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 74 | 14,026 | 0.5% |
| 2000s | 431 | 37,254 | 1.2% |
| 2010s | 681 | 41,748 | 1.6% |
| 2020-26 | 696 | 36,300 | 1.9% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent high wind and dust records in Arizona
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | High WindNorthwest Deserts | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-29 | High WindNavajo County · forecast zone Little Colorado River Valley In Navajo County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | High WindLake Mead - Az Side | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | High WindApache County · forecast zone Chuska Mountains And Defiance Plateau | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-26 | High WindApache County · forecast zone Chuska Mountains And Defiance Plateau | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-26 | High WindApache County · forecast zone Little Colorado River Valley In Apache County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-22 | Dust DevilCasas Adobes, Pima County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2026-04-13 | Dust StormCochise County · forecast zone Eastern Cochise County Below 5000 Feet | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-13 | High WindCochise County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper San Pedro River Valley | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-13 | High WindCochise County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper San Pedro River Valley | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-13 | High WindPima County and Santa Cruz County · forecast zone Upper Santa Cruz River And Altar Valleys | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-13 | High WindCochise County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper San Pedro River Valley | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
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