Flagstaff

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. 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.

Every large fire

1. 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

1. 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.

Flood insurance figures are for Coconino County, the county that contains Flagstaff.

Claims by ZIP code

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 Coconino County, the county that contains Flagstaff.

River gauges

1. 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.

The drought index is for Coconino County, the county that contains Flagstaff.

1. 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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. 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.
2. 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.

Volcanoes within 100 miles

1. U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.

USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Coconino County.

Mapped by AZ GS (1,741), USGS Post-Fire Debris Flows (26), USGS Conterminous (21), NASA (11), USGS Seismogenic Mass Movements (1), UT GRC (1).

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 28, 2018Wildfire, Eastern Mogollon Rim$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Tinder Fire was first seen by Moqui Tower lookout on April 27 11:43 AM. Investigators determined that the fire originated in the East Clear Creek drainage approximately 1 mile downstream from Forest Road 95. Forest Road 95 runs north-south and is located approximately 1.5 miles east of C.C. Cragin (Blue Ridge) Reservoir. The cause of the fire was an abandoned illegal campfire. The fire burned 16,309 acres, 33 primary residences, and 54 minor structures.

2. Apr 17, 2022Wildfire, Western Mogollon Rim$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Tunnel Fire started on April 17 about 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff within the 2010 Schultz Fire scar. The fire eventually jumped Highway 89 and through Sunset Crater National Monument. The fire also burned at least 30 homes. In all, the Tunnel Fire burned through 19,088 acres. The Tunnel Fire was marked fully contained Wednesday, June 1.

3. Aug 16, 2008Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain from thunderstorms over the Cataract Creek and Havasu Creek drainages caused flash flooding that started in the Village of Supai around 11:30 PM on August 16. Radar estimated between 3 and 4 inches of rain over several square miles in the Cataract Creek drainage during the afternoon. Additional heavy rain from thunderstorms on August 17 continued heavy run off into the canyon. Cataract Canyon/Creek becomes Havasu Canyon/Creek at Havasu Springs about a mile upstream from the Village of Supai. This very popular destination for tourists was closed for at least 6 months because of the heavy damage caused by the flash flooding.

4. Jun 20, 2010Wildfire, Western Mogollon Rim$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Schultz Fire was started by an abandon campfire. Wind enhanced by topography and steep slopes on the eastern side of the San Francisco Peaks (also known as Kachina Peaks) greatly enhanced the spread and severity of the fire. Highway 89 was closed because of the fire. A Type I Incident Management Team was called to organize fire fighting efforts. Close to one thousand people were called out to fight this fire. Fire fighting equipment included 8 air tankers, 7 helicopters, 62 fire engines, and 13 water tenders. Firefighting efforts alone cost around $10 million dollars. No homes or buildings were damaged by fire. However, flooding and debris flows that resulted from the fire…

5. Jul 21, 2019Wildfire, Black Mesa Area$9.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Museum Fire started about 4 miles north of Flagstaff on Sunday July 21 at around 1115 AM. The fire grew to 1,962 acres in the Dry Lake Hills area. The burn severity was 12% High, 28% moderate, 48%, and 12% very low. Much of this area drains into the Spruce Wash which runs into several communities of Flagstaff. An initial estimate of $9 million was spent on fire suppression. Extensive flood protection measures (200,000 sand bags and many jersey barriers) have been put in place below the fire scar.

6. May 20, 2014Wildfire, Oak Creek And Sycamore Canyons$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A human caused fire started less than 1/4 mile north of Slide Rock State Park at around 350 PM on May 20 during Red Flag Conditions. The fire quickly spread north and eventually out of the canyon and into the edge of the Western Mogollon Rim. Fire burned over 22,000 acres beginning about 6 miles north of Sedona in Oak Creek Canyon, West Fork Oak Creek Canyon, and parts of the rim country bordering the canyons. The fire stayed west of Oak Creek and Highway 89A that connects Sedona and Flagstaff. The total fire fighting cost was over $7 million. The cost of rehabilitation and the expected flood damage has yet to be determined.

7. Aug 22, 2023Flash Flood$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Between 1 to 2.5 inches of rain fell in around two hours just east and northeast of the town of Tusayan and the South Entrance to The Grand Canyon National Park. This caused significant flooding of homes homes, buildings, and cars. Highway 64 into the GCNP was closed, shelter in place orders were put into place, and children were stuck in their school because they could not safely get home.

8. Oct 2, 2009Wildfire, Western Mogollon Rim$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Twin Fire began as a prescribed burn that jumped containment lines. The fire was moving towards the town of William where 64 homes were evacuated. The fire threatened over 100 homes and businesses. Smoke from the fire impacted travel on I40 by lowering the visibility. The fire reached a final size of just over 900 acres. Resources assigned to the Twin Fire included: a Type I Incident Management Team, 7 helicopters, several air tankers, 6 Hot Shot Crews, 4 Hand Crews, 33 engines, 2 dozers and 7 water tenders. In all, over 450 personnel were assigned to the fire.

9. Jul 14, 1999Flash Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Repeat thunderstorms over the Grand Canyon National Park produced some the worst flash flooding seen in years. Severe damage was done to the Bright Angel and North Kaibab hiking trails, forcing their closure for nearly two weeks. Flood waters also undermined a major water supply line to the South Rim. Conservative damage and repair amounts are $2.5 million. The injuries included one broken leg, and three with lacerations. In addition 26 campers were airlifted out of the canyon due to the trail washouts.

10. Jul 20, 2010Flash Flood$2.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rain over the Schultz Fire burn area caused extensive flash flooding on both sides of Highway 89 northeast of Flagstaff. A 12 year old girl was swept away in the flood waters and drowned. Two rain gauges within the burn area reported 1.48 and 1.78 inches of rain in 52 minutes and 62 minutes respectively. The flood waters, ash, mud, debris, and rocks 2-3 feet in diameter covered roads, properties, and entered homes. Highway 89 was closed as were the main roads west of Highway 89. The water slowed down once it crossed Highway 89. However, the heavy silt prevented the water from percolating into the cinders east of Highway 89. The flood waters flowed across the road leading to…

1. 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.

All-time high

99°FJul 28, 1898

All-time low

−30°FJan 22, 1937

Warmest night

72°FJul 13, 1897

Coldest day

5°FJan 12, 1963

Wettest day

3.93 inFeb 19, 1993

Snowiest day

35.9 inFeb 21, 2019

Hottest year

1897mean 51.7°F

Coldest year

1979mean 43.5°F

Wettest year

196536.59 in

Driest year

20209.59 in

Snowiest season

210.0 in1972-73

Station Flagstaff Airport (USW00003103), 6,999 ft elevation, 3.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 26, 2026; 99.8% 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.

Declarations for Coconino County.

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.

• 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 USW00003103.
• 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.
• Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
• 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.