Bullhead City
Population 43,987 (2025)
5 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Bullhead City since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on April 21, 2001.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 19505
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 198411
- Major flood years since 1978, Mohave County1
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Mohave County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Mohave County.
Strongest tornado
F1
November 22, 1996, 5.0 mile path
Tornadoes
About one every 15 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
November 22, 1996
F1, 5.0 mile path
400 yards wide.
Most recent
Saturday, April 21, 2001
F1, 3.0 mile path
25 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Apr 21, 2001 | F1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22, 1996 | F1 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22, 1996 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22, 1996 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 18, 1972 | F1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
11 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
July 22, 2005
Twin Mills Fire, 12,251 acres
17.2 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
August 8, 2015
Willow Fire
6,093 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Willow | 2015 | 18.1 | 6,093 |
| Secret | 2006 | 10.5 | 4,541 |
| Black Mountain Complex | 2006 | 13.8 | 8,982 |
| Twin Mills | 2005 | 17.2 | 12,251 |
| Shiner | 2005 | 18.9 | 2,093 |
| Lightning | 2003 | 9.3 | 1,139 |
| South Dike | 1998 | 21.7 | 3,149 |
| Union | 1995 | 12.1 | 1,722 |
| Warm | 1994 | 15.6 | 5,110 |
| Santa Claus | 1993 | 22.6 | 1,624 |
| Three Mile | 1987 | 20.8 | 1,392 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2021: 26 days
Heavy smoke on 8 days in 2020, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
7.1 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
6 days
Medium or heavy smoke.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
164 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $1.9 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Mohave County, the county that contains Bullhead City.
Most claims in one year
1983: 43 claims
$433,000 paid.
2nd most
1997: 18 claims
$94,000 paid.
3rd most
1984: 11 claims
$11,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 86442 | 41 | $166,000 |
| 86440 | 24 | $356,000 |
| 86401 | 22 | $258,000 |
| 86409 | 21 | $235,000 |
| 86426 | 17 | $443,000 |
| 86430 | 9 | $4,689 |
| 7 | $17,000 | |
| 86432 | 6 | $248,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood661
- Flood41
- Heavy Rain10
8 deaths recorded in flood events since 1996.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Mohave County, the county that contains Bullhead City.
Most severe crest
February 9, 1993
Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup, 24.43 ft
8.43 feet above the 16.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
December 21, 2010
Virgin River at Littlefield, 19.82 ft
Moderate flooding.
| Feb 9, 1993 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 24.43 | +8.43 |
| Jan 22, 2010 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 23.94 | +7.94 |
| Feb 12, 2005 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 22.47 | +6.47 |
| Feb 20, 1980 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 19.99 | +3.99 |
| Mar 1, 1991 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 18.37 | +2.37 |
| Dec 26, 2008 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 18.29 | +2.29 |
| Feb 14, 1995 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 18.15 | +2.15 |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 17.79 | +1.79 |
| Mar 3, 1983 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 17.36 | +1.36 |
| Dec 21, 2010 | Virgin River at Littlefield | 19.82 | +0.82 |
| Mar 2, 2015 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 15.98 | −0.02 |
| Aug 2, 2007 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 14.58 | −1.42 |
| Feb 15, 1998 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 13.75 | −2.25 |
| Sep 26, 1997 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 13.72 | −2.28 |
| Aug 26, 2014 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 13.47 | −2.53 |
| Mar 7, 2001 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 12.67 | −3.33 |
| Mar 1, 1991 | Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 8.56 | −2.44 |
| Jan 21, 2010 | Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 8.00 | −3.00 |
| Feb 9, 1993 | Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 7.84 | −3.16 |
| Mar 1, 1978 | Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 7.82 | −3.18 |
| Jan 30, 1980 | Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 6.90 | −4.10 |
| Sep 9, 2006 | Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 11.71 | −4.29 |
| Dec 18, 1978 | Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 6.39 | −4.61 |
| Aug 23, 1992 | Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 6.38 | −4.62 |
| Dec 29, 2004 | Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 6.13 | −4.87 |
River gauges
| Big Sandy River (AZ) near Wikieup | 16.0 | 24.43 ft | 7 |
| Santa Maria River near Bagdad | 11.0 | 8.56 ft | 0 |
| Virgin River at Littlefield | 19.0 | 19.82 ft | 0 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 237 of 1,581 months since 1895 (15%); the longest spell lasted 25 months.
The drought index is for Mohave County, the county that contains Bullhead City.
237
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
89
Months in extreme drought
15%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
July 2026
−6.47, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
25 months
September 2024 to September 2026.
Latest month
September 2026
−5.24, extreme drought
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes and landslides
15 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1940; none reached magnitude 4.
3
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
July 23, 1966
Magnitude 3.8
34km N of Laughlin, NV; 23.8 miles away, 3.7 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
January 5, 2008
Magnitude 3.2
20km SE of Kingman, AZ; 38.0 miles away.
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
Landslides mapped in Mohave County.
1,985
Landslides mapped, probable or better
693
With a recorded date
4
Source inventories
Mapped by AZ GS (1,980), NV NBMG (2), USGS Conterminous (2), NASA (1).
- Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.
USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
1,415 events in the National Weather Service record for Mohave County, 1,355 of them since 1996.
47
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
197
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
46
Winter weather events since 1996
105
Heat events since 1996
5
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
November 19, 1972
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
January 21, 2010
101 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 29 | 0 |
| Dust storms and dust devils | 45 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 6 | 0 |
| Debris flows | 3 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jul 13, 2012Flash Flood$5.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Major flash flooding affected Lake Havasu City. One man drowned when a car was swept down a wash, and there were nine swift water rescues involving a total of 11 people. Rotary Park was filled with mud, and nearby sidewalks were undermined. A few homes flooded, and one roof collapsed from the rain.
- Dec 21, 2010Flood$4.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Beaver Dam Wash flooded the community of Beaver Dam. Six homes were washed away, 12 more were damaged, two mobile homes and a garage were destroyed, and a 300-400 foot stretch of Clark Gable Drive was washed out. The water flowed into the Virgin River, which then flooded Littlefield, damaging a sewer lift station.
- Aug 1, 2007Flash Flood$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Several roads were closed and/or damaged by flooding, including U.S. Highway 93 20 miles north of Wikieup, Stockton Hills Rd. in the Kingman area, and Antares Rd. and Diamond Bar Rd. north of Kingman.
- Aug 25, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 to 100 mph damaged numerous roofs and outbuildings, downed trees and at least eight power lines, and damaged or destroyed 40 airplane hangars at Eagle Airpark.
- Sep 6, 2025Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Temple Bar Road was flooded, and there was major flooding in and south of Meadview. Numerous roads were damaged by water, boulders, and debris. Multiple underground water pipes serving Meadview were broken. One rain gauge recorded 4.13 inches, including 3.15 inches in one hour.
- Jan 22, 2010Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Big Sandy River near Wikieup crested at 17.9 feet. This was the all-time record crest. Several roads were washed away.
- Aug 16, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Strong thunderstorm wind gusts of 80 -100 mph moved through the community of Golden Shores causing one million dollars in damage. Two mobile homes were destroyed and 17 other mobile homes and frame houses were unlivable. Another 117 homes received minor damage. One injury occurred when the homeowner sought shelter in a tub in the mobile homes bathroom. As the mobile home rolled the toilet was ripped from its foundation and struck the homeowner in the head causing cuts and bruises. In addition, numerous pontoon boats were either flipped over or destroyed and several windows were broken on homes and cars. The storm snapped several power lines which cut power, in turn cutting the…
- Sep 1, 2019Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Strong thunderstorm winds caused substantial damage in and near Lake Havasu City. Several boats were sunk, others received significant damage, the courtesy docks were damaged, and a two story storage facility which was under construction collapsed. Sixteen people were rescued from boats.
- Sep 14, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
A powerful thunderstorm unleashed a destructive wind that wreaked havoc on a small section of Bullhead City, AZ. The fierce wind snapped 24 power poles and damaged approximately 80 houses and mobile homes. Roofs were blown off or damaged, a garage was blown away and numerous awnings were ripped off and hurled through the air. 22 of the homes were condemned.
- Sep 5, 2009Flash Flood$600,000
National Weather Service narrative
Runoff and mud covered Primavera Loop and Primavera Rd. near Mohave Valley. Two homes were destroyed, nine had moderate damage, and 16 had minor damage.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Laughlin, 3.2 miles from the city centre, with records from 1988.
- All-time high
- 125°FJun 29, 1994
- All-time low
- 22°FDec 24, 1990
- Warmest night
- 99°F2 times, most recently Jul 26, 2026
- Coldest day
- 37°FDec 23, 1990
- Wettest day
- 2.00 inSep 29, 2026
- Hottest year
- 2025mean 76.0°F
- Coldest year
- 1998mean 71.7°F
- Wettest year
- 199211.13 in
- Driest year
- 20020.78 in
Station Laughlin (USC00264480), 605 ft elevation, 3.2 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1988 to October 27, 2026; 93.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
15 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, April 4, 2020.
Declarations for Mohave County.
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | DR-4524-AZ |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3442-AZ |
| Aug 9, 2015 | Fire | FM-5095-AZ |
| Jul 2, 2013 | Fire | FM-5033-AZ |
| Mar 18, 2010 | Severe Storm | DR-1888-AZ |
| Sep 12, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3241-AZ |
| Jun 12, 2005 | Fire | FM-2560-AZ |
| Apr 14, 2005 | Severe Storm | DR-1586-AZ |
| Feb 17, 2005 | Severe Storm | DR-1581-AZ |
| Jan 15, 1985 | Severe Storm | DR-730-AZ |
| Oct 5, 1983 | Flood | DR-691-AZ |
| Jul 1, 1983 | Flood | DR-686-AZ |
| Feb 19, 1980 | Flood | DR-614-AZ |
| Mar 4, 1978 | Flood | DR-551-AZ |
| Apr 15, 1977 | Drought | EM-3038-AZ |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00264480.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.