List of Arizona hurricanes

This article serves as a compilation of noteworthy tropical storms that have impacted the U.S. state of Arizona. Usually, tropical storms that reach Arizona make landfall in the Mexican states of Baja California or Sonora, with the remaining moisture normally causing mild rainfall across the state. However, a few storms have crossed into Arizona while they still had tropical storm strength.

It is extremely difficult for a hurricane to form in Arizona because the normal storms that form in the eastern Pacific Ocean move either parallel or away from the Pacific coast of Northwestern Mexico. As a result, most storms that could affect Arizona, are carried away from the United States, and only 6% of all Pacific hurricanes enter U.S. territory. In average, Arizona experiences the effects of tropical cyclones once every five years. Many, but not all, of these systems also affect California.

Tropical storms are one of Arizona's main sources of rainfall, and they infuse the monsoon with tropical moisture over the southwestern United States. However, all of the storms that have impacted Arizona have formed in the latter parts of the Pacific hurricane season, and no storm has affected the state before August.

 Storm Peak intensity Season Intensity Date Unnamed Unknown 1921 Remnant low August 20, 1921 Unnamed Unknown 1921 Tropical depression September 30, 1921 Unnamed Unknown 1926 Remnant low September 20, 1926 Unnamed Unknown 1927 Remnant low September 7, 1927 Unnamed Unknown 1935Tropical storm August 22, 1935 Unnamed Tropical Storm 1951Tropical storm August 3, 1951 Unnamed Category 1  1958 Tropical storm October 6, 1958 Claudia Tropical Storm 1962 Tropical storm September 25, 1962 Emily Category 1  1965 Remnant low September 6, 1965 Katrina Category 1  1967 Tropical storm August 29, 1967 Hyacinth Tropical Storm  1968Tropical depression August 20, 1968 Norma Tropical Storm 1970 Remnant low  September 7, 1970 Joanne Category 2 1972 Tropical storm October 4, 1972 Kathleen Category 1 1976 Tropical storm September 10, 1976 Liza Category 4 1976 Remnant low October 2, 1976 Doreen Category 1 1977 Tropical storm August 13, 1977 Heather Category 1 1977 Tropical depression October 4, 1977 Octave Tropical Storm 1983 Tropical storm September 28, 1983 Raymond Category 3  1989 Tropical depression October 5, 1989 Boris Category 1 1990Remnant low June 11, 1990 Lester Category 1  1992Tropical storm August 22, 1992 Ismael Category 1  1995Remnant low September 15, 1995 Nora Category 4 1997 Tropical storm September 25, 1997 Isis Category 1  1998 Remnant low September 5, 1998 Marty Category 2  2003Remnant low September 22, 2003 Javier Category 4  2004Remnant low September 20, 2004 John Category 4 2006Remnant low September 5, 2006 Julio Tropical Storm 2008 Tropical storm August 25, 2008 Jimena Category 4 2009 Remnant low September 5, 2009

Deadly storms

In late August of 1935, the remnants of an unnamed tropical storm made landfall on the coast of southern California, causing heavy rains and flooding across Arizona, especially along the Santa Cruz River and Rillito River in southern Arizona. The rainfall produced by the storm holds the record rainfall at the National Weather Service office in Tucson as of 2025.

Between September 5-6 of 1970, the remnants of Tropical Storm Norma flowed into the desert southeast, becoming Arizona's deadliest storm on record. As Norma dissipated, moisture from the cyclone was captured in a large extratropical low. The resulting rainfall in the region caused severe flooding, killing 23 people and causing immense property damage. Two years later, the remnants of Hurricane Joanne caused widespread flooding, killing eight. The estimated damage from Hurricane Joanne in Arizona alone totaled up to over $77 million USD, adjusted for inflation.

On September 11, 1976, Hurricane Kathleen killed a man after a gust of wind blew a palm tree down onto his mobile home. Strong flooding and hail also resulted in widespread property damage.

Monsoon moisture carried by Tropical Storm Octave caused a wave of severe thunderstorms to develop throughout late September and early October of 1983. Fourteen people perished in the resulting storms, with at least 975 injured and roughly 10,000 people displaced by the time the flooding ended. The total damage from the disaster was estimated to be approximately $370 million USD.

References

hurricanes
Category:Weather lists
*Arizona hurricanes, List of