Tornado Risk in Arizona

All Arizona counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index tornado score

Tornado risk — violently rotating columns of air capable of catastrophic local damage — is rated for 15 of 15 Arizona counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Maricopa County carries the state's highest tornado score at 84.0, with $5M in expected annual tornado losses.

No Arizona county reaches the High band for tornado, and expected annual losses from tornado total roughly $8M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.

County Rankings — Tornado

#CountyTornado ScoreRatingAnn. Freq.Ann. Loss
1 Maricopa County
84.0
Medium 0.57 / yr $5M
2 Pima County
37.5
Low 0.26 / yr $688K
3 Pinal County
37.1
Low 0.38 / yr $712K
4 Yavapai County
32.7
Low 0.51 / yr $451K
5 Coconino County
24.3
Very Low 0.81 / yr $296K
6 Yuma County
14.0
Very Low 0.07 / yr $91K
7 Gila County
13.4
Very Low 0.22 / yr $73K
8 Cochise County
10.4
Very Low 0.16 / yr $50K
9 Santa Cruz County
8.7
Very Low 0.04 / yr $30K
10 Navajo County
8.0
Very Low 0.39 / yr $25K
11 La Paz County
4.6
Very Low 0.07 / yr $8K
12 Apache County
3.6
Very Low 0.27 / yr $5K
13 Mohave County
3.3
Very Low 0.27 / yr $6K
14 Graham County
2.7
Very Low 0.09 / yr $4K
15 Greenlee County
1.2
Very Low 0.02 / yr $849

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Arizona county has the highest tornado risk?

Maricopa County has the highest FEMA tornado risk score in Arizona at 84.0 (Medium), with $5M in expected annual losses and about 0.57 events per year.

How many Arizona counties face significant tornado risk?

15 Arizona counties record measurable tornado risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 0 of them are rated High or Very High.

Other Hazards in Arizona