Florence
Population 25,222 (2025)
17 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Florence since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on November 29, 2019.
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 195017
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 198421
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 Pinal 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 Pinal County.
Strongest tornado
F1
September 1, 1971, 32.4 mile path
Tornadoes
About one every 4.5 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
September 1, 1971
F1, 32.4 mile path
10 yards wide.
Most recent
Friday, November 29, 2019
EF0, 3.6 mile path
7 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Nov 29, 2019 | EF0 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 29, 2019 | EF0 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 6, 1999 | F0 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 5, 1993 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 18, 1993 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 20, 1988 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 18, 1986 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 15, 1985 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 15, 1985 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 15, 1985 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1984 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1972 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 21, 1972 | F0 | 17.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 21, 1972 | F1 | 1.0 | 8 | 0 |
| Sep 1, 1971 | F1 | 32.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 8, 1970 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 13, 1955 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 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
21 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
June 4, 2021
Telegraph Fire, 187,117 acres
15.2 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
September 10, 2024
Siphon Fire
15,001 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Siphon | 2024 | 23.2 | 15,001 |
| Wood | 2024 | 16.2 | 7,066 |
| Range | 2024 | 4.5 | 1,468 |
| Telegraph | 2021 | 15.2 | 187,117 |
| Superstition | 2020 | 23.3 | 8,162 |
| Boulders | 2020 | 20.0 | 1,042 |
| Sawtooth | 2020 | 18.8 | 23,157 |
| Range | 2020 | 3.1 | 2,808 |
| Woodbury | 2019 | 23.2 | 130,148 |
| 257 | 2012 | 21.8 | 2,834 |
| Picket | 2011 | 18.3 | 1,419 |
| Tomahawk | 2005 | 17.2 | 2,987 |
| Peachville | 2005 | 24.6 | 8,080 |
| Chapman | 2005 | 10.4 | 2,818 |
| Picacho Reservoir | 2003 | 14.2 | 1,437 |
| Comet | 1995 | 17.3 | 2,016 |
| White Canyon | 1995 | 15.0 | 5,732 |
| Geronimo | 1995 | 22.0 | 2,451 |
| Buick | 1993 | 22.8 | 2,172 |
| 96-Rch | 1993 | 21.8 | 1,482 |
| Unnamed | 1993 | 3.4 | 2,866 |
- 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
2020: 24 days
Heavy smoke on 7 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
6.0 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
3 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 1 so far in 2026.
- 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
150 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $3.5 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Pinal County, the county that contains Florence.
Most claims in one year
1983: 18 claims
$306,000 paid.
2nd most
2013: 10 claims
$98,000 paid.
3rd most
2006: 9 claims
$263,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 85119 | 19 | $715,000 |
| 85237 | 17 | $410,000 |
| 85120 | 14 | $843,000 |
| 85122 | 9 | $204,000 |
| 85192 | 9 | $192,000 |
| 85123 | 9 | $261,000 |
| 85222 | 8 | $21,000 |
| 85239 | 7 | $41,000 |
| 85118 | 6 | $241,000 |
| 85142 | 6 | $60,000 |
| 85139 | 5 | $11,000 |
| 85193 | 5 | $0 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood136
- Heavy Rain44
- Flood26
5 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 Pinal County, the county that contains Florence.
Most severe crest
August 1, 2006
Aravaipa Creek near Mammoth, 19.33 ft
7.83 feet above the 11.5 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
August 1, 2006
Aravaipa Creek near Mammoth, 19.33 ft
Major flooding.
River gauges
| Aravaipa Creek near Mammoth | 11.5 | 19.33 ft | 2 |
| Gila River at Kelvin | 27.0 | 33.00 ft | 0 |
| Gila River near Maricopa | 6.0 | 6.80 ft | 0 |
| Weekes Wash at Apache Junction | 1.5 | — | 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 226 of 1,581 months since 1895 (14%); the longest spell lasted 31 months.
The drought index is for Pinal County, the county that contains Florence.
226
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
43
Months in extreme drought
14%
Share of all months, severe or worse
190
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
June 2026
−5.83, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
31 months
March 2002 to September 2004.
Latest month
September 2026
−3.17, severe 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
10 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 2010; 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
December 9, 2016
Magnitude 3.2
11 km ENE of Rio Verde, Arizona; 49.1 miles away, 2.0 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
December 9, 2016
Magnitude 3.2
11 km ENE of Rio Verde, Arizona; 49.1 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 Pinal County.
512
Landslides mapped, probable or better
326
With a recorded date
3
Source inventories
Mapped by AZ GS (506), USGS Conterminous (5), 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
1,600 events in the National Weather Service record for Pinal County, 1,495 of them since 1996.
42
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
335
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
83
Winter weather events since 1996
338
Heat events since 1996
7
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
October 13, 2025
2.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
May 1, 1981
100 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 9 | 1 |
| Dust storms and dust devils | 183 | 8 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 12 | 0 |
| Debris flows | 3 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jun 4, 2021Wildfire, Pinal/Superstition Mountains$8.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Telegraph Fire began as a human-caused wildfire south of Superior, Arizona. The wildfire quickly grew and led to multiple extended road closures, which included Highway 177 between Superior and Winkelman, Highway 77 between Globe and Winkelman, and Highway 60 between Superior and Top-Of-The-World. In addition to the road closures, evacuation orders were issued for multiple communities, including Superior, Top-Of-The-World, El Capitan, and portions of Miami and Globe. Increasing monsoonal activity toward the end of June and into early July provided some aid in extinguishing the wildfire. The Telegraph Fire became fully contained by July 6th after burning 180,757 acres and…
- Jul 25, 2021Flood$7.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread rain occurred on July 24 and 25 in the Santa Cruz River watershed in Pinal County and upstream in much of eastern Pima County with 48 hour rain totals of 3 to 4 inches common. High flows in the river traveled downstream into Greene Wash. A levee breached in the wash near Toltec Buttes and washed out a road, then flowed into a canal, causing damage along 3/4 mile of the canal. Further downstream in Greene Wash, Sunland Gin Rd was also flooded and damaged. Indian Route 15 near Chuichu was also flooded and two nearby homes sustained minor flood damage.
- Aug 13, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$5.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
About 90 mobile homes damaged or destroyed at Las Casitas trailer park. One third of them were blown off their foundations. About 150 people evacuated due to damage and numerous gas leaks. Unknown number of people had minor injuries. Numerous trees were blown down and about a mile-long stretch of power poles were damaged.
- Apr 8, 2021Wildfire, Southeast Pinal County$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The human caused Margo Fire started on April 8th in the San Pedro River bed near Dudleyville. The fire was spread by gusty winds which led to the evacuation of over 200 of the town's residents. The wildfire destroyed seventeen residences and around two dozen outbuildings and caused the closure of State Route 77. The fire consumed 1148 acres before it was contained April 11th. Property damage costs were estimated at around $2 million while fire suppression costs tallied $300,000.
- Sep 18, 2004Flash Flood$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Local areas of heavy rainfall developed within a tropical-like environment across much of south-central Arizona. Locally windy conditions preceded the showers and thunderstorms during the late afternoon hours. A rather narrow band of heavy rain developed over mainly rural areas of northern Pinal County, which resulted in flooded homes and roads. Three to 5 inches of rain was reported in a 70 minute period in one northern portion of Pinal County, according to the county emergency manager. The worst damage occurred in the community of Queen Valley, where the sewage treatment plant had an initial damage estimate of $1.5 million. Gov. Napolitano declared an emergency and designated…
- May 21, 2025Wildfire, Southeast Pinal County$1.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Cody Wildfire began on May 21st around 3:30 PM MST near Oracle, AZ. The fire was controlled on June 16th, burning a total of 1223 acres. The fire was fueled by high winds and dry fuels. The wildfire destroyed 5 homes, damaged 1 home, and burned 8 other structures. The wildfire also set GO evacuation status to 1,100 people in the southeastern portions of Oracle, AZ. The wildfire was human caused.
- Sep 2, 2022Lightning$1.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
Local media reported a home was struck by lightning near Hunt Highway and Peace Pipe Place. The home caught fire and was fully destroyed. No injuries were reported.
- Jul 28, 2022Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Between 1 and 3 inches of rain fell within 1-2 hours across Apache Junction and the adjacent higher terrain north and east of the city, towards the Goldfield and Superstitions mountains. Water from those mountains drained down towards the area washes, including Weekes Wash, which runs through the city. Numerous roads were flooded and damaged along with multiple water rescues taking place of residents in homes that either were surrounded with water or had water inside them. One of the more dramatic water rescues occurred when a woman had to be rescued from her vehicle that was swept away by the flood waters of Weekes Wash and traveled half a mile downstream before encountering a…
- May 29, 2024Wildfire, Southeast Pinal County$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Simmons Fire near Kelvin was active from May 28 through June 4 and burned 4 homes. The fire was of an undetermined cause as of this publication and burned around 350 acres.
- Aug 18, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Thunderstorm winds up to 75 mph impacted Eloy, Arizona when a microburst descended near the Volvo equipment rental facility. These strong winds resulted in significant damage in a divergent pattern across southeast portions of Eloy. A total of 20 homes sustained significant damage. Some had roof structures blown off, while some suffered total roof collapses and one had a tree fell on it and a nearby vehicle. Of the 20 homes, 14 were condemned. Several other homes sustained damage due to flying debris while still others only had shingle damage. In addition, eight businesses were damaged beyond repair including one that also collapsed onto cars and equipment. Several power poles…
- 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 Casa Grande Nm, 8.8 miles from the city centre, with records from 1908.
- All-time high
- 123°F4 times, most recently Jul 30, 1995
- All-time low
- 8°FJan 7, 1913
- Warmest night
- 96°F2 times, most recently Jul 12, 1909
- Coldest day
- 40°F2 times, most recently Jan 4, 1949
- Wettest day
- 5.40 inAug 1, 1906
- Hottest year
- 2012mean 73.0°F
- Coldest year
- 1912mean 66.7°F
- Wettest year
- 194119.22 in
- Driest year
- 20093.47 in
Station Casa Grande Nm (USC00021314), 1,419 ft elevation, 8.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1908 to October 11, 2026; 87.2% 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
23 since 1953. The most recent: Cody Fire, May 22, 2025.
Declarations for Pinal County.
| May 22, 2025 | Fire | FM-5585-AZ |
| Jul 9, 2024 | Fire | FM-5505-AZ |
| May 29, 2024 | Fire | FM-5493-AZ |
| Jun 6, 2021 | Fire | FM-5389-AZ |
| Apr 8, 2021 | Fire | FM-5385-AZ |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | DR-4524-AZ |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3442-AZ |
| Jul 8, 2017 | Fire | FM-5188-AZ |
| Jun 17, 2015 | Fire | FM-5086-AZ |
| Sep 7, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1660-AZ |
| Sep 12, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3241-AZ |
| May 26, 2005 | Fire | FM-2558-AZ |
| Apr 14, 2005 | Severe Storm | DR-1586-AZ |
| Jun 18, 2003 | Fire | FM-2470-AZ |
| Jul 14, 2002 | Fire | FM-2439-AZ |
| Oct 27, 2000 | Severe Storm | DR-1347-AZ |
| Jan 19, 1993 | Flood | DR-977-AZ |
| Dec 6, 1990 | Flood | DR-884-AZ |
| Oct 5, 1983 | Flood | DR-691-AZ |
| Nov 4, 1977 | Flood | DR-540-AZ |
| Apr 15, 1977 | Drought | EM-3038-AZ |
| Jul 3, 1972 | Flood | DR-343-AZ |
| Apr 30, 1966 | Flood | DR-217-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 USC00021314.
- 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.