Lightning Risk in Arizona

All Arizona counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index lightning score

Lightning risk — electrical discharges from storms that ignite fires and cause casualties — is rated for 15 of 15 Arizona counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Coconino County carries the state's highest lightning score at 99.6, with $5M in expected annual lightning losses.

12 Arizona counties are rated High or Very High for lightning, and expected annual losses from lightning total roughly $29M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.

County Rankings — Lightning

#CountyLightning ScoreRatingAnn. Freq.Ann. Loss
1 Coconino County
99.6
Very High 44.38 / yr $5M
2 Navajo County
99.5
Very High 47.60 / yr $3M
3 Apache County
99.1
Very High 53.01 / yr $2M
4 Yavapai County
98.9
Very High 47.87 / yr $3M
5 Mohave County
98.0
Very High 36.89 / yr $2M
6 Pima County
97.7
Very High 42.77 / yr $3M
7 Pinal County
97.0
Very High 41.86 / yr $2M
8 Cochise County
97.0
Very High 56.22 / yr $2M
9 Maricopa County
95.5
High 32.26 / yr $2M
10 Gila County
94.1
High 57.88 / yr $1M
11 Graham County
93.4
High 57.83 / yr $1M
12 Santa Cruz County
88.4
High 57.01 / yr $631K
13 Greenlee County
77.6
Medium 65.84 / yr $653K
14 Yuma County
43.4
Low 19.69 / yr $136K
15 La Paz County
6.6
Very Low 24.53 / yr $11K

15 Arizona counties with measurable lightning risk. See the national lightning ranking or all Arizona counties by overall risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Arizona county has the highest lightning risk?

Coconino County has the highest FEMA lightning risk score in Arizona at 99.6 (Very High), with $5M in expected annual losses and about 44.38 events per year.

How many Arizona counties face significant lightning risk?

15 Arizona counties record measurable lightning risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 12 of them are rated High or Very High.

Other Hazards in Arizona