Safford

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 Graham County, the county that contains Safford.

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 Graham County, the county that contains Safford.

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 Graham County, the county that contains Safford.

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.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Graham County.

Mapped by AZ GS (195).

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. May 9, 2011Strong Wind, Upper San Pedro River Valley$11.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong surface winds occurred in Sierra Vista. Homeland Security's aerostat, an anti-trafficking balloon, broke free from its tether and crashed into the Canyon de Flores neighborhood in Sierra Vista. Equipment from the aerostat was picked up from 39 different sites throughout the neighborhood. Minor damage was reported to a few vehicles and homes, as well as a damage to power lines south of Fort Huachuca. The aerostat, based at the fort since 1986, was a total loss and will be replaced.

2. Oct 8, 2016Hail$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One inch diameter hail began around 2300 LST as a large thunderstorm moved through Safford. The storm eventually produced hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter. Homes, vehicles and property were damaged throughout Safford and Solomon. Copious amounts of smaller hail fell for 20 minutes in some locations, causing accumulations of up to 6. In many spots, the hail did not melt overnight and was still piled up on roads, sidewalks and yards the following morning. In addition, where hail broke windows, rain and additional hail entered buildings causing water damage. This caused some schools in Safford to remain closed for two weeks until repairs were completed. The hailstorm also wiped out…

3. Feb 2, 2011Frost/Freeze, Upper San Pedro River Valley$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several communities across the Upper San Pedro River Valley suffered from frozen and burst water pipes as temperatures dropped into the single digits to low teens. In addition, 4500 Sierra Vista Southwest Gas customers lost their natural gas flow. Most of the damage was at Fort Huachuca where over 400 homes suffered from broken water pipes with more than 100 homes sustaining damage. About 40 outpost buildings had ceilings collapse due to broken water pipes. Sierra Vista Fire Department also responded to several fire calls related to space heaters and candles.||In Benson, the city received over 100 calls regarding burst water pipes. The San Pedro Terrace Apartments on Pearl Street…

4. Jun 20, 2017Wildfire, Upper San Pedro River Valley$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The lightning caused Encino Fire ignited on June 20th south of Sonoita and spread rapidly north due to thunderstorm outflow winds. At least five homes and 30 power poles were destroyed by the fire. Many residents of Sonoita were evacuated and State Routes 82 and 83 were both closed temporarily. A firefighter was injured when he broke his ankle. The fire was fully contained by June 25th after burning 1289 acres.

5. Sep 5, 2021Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds caused considerable damage near the junction of Highways 70 and 191 in Safford. Two hotel marquis signs were blown down. A large roof extending to the side of a building near a skate park was damaged and an attached tall block wall also fell. A wall south of this property where an animal shelter was located blew down along with a power line that caused a funeral home's cold storage unit to lose power. Damage extended several blocks south to 15th St. where the roof was peeled off an apartment complex. allowing rain to enter one unit. A few other buildings in Safford sustained moderate roof damage and solid fencing partitions were blown down. Several trees were…

6. Apr 3, 2023Wildfire, Upper San Pedro River Valley$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The human caused Williams Fire started on April 3 in the Hereford area in Cochise County. The wildfire was driven by wind gusts of 45 mph, spread northeast in dry grass, and destroyed two residences and three outbuildings near the intersection of Williams and Waters Rds. The fire caused evacuations of several residences and the closure of State Route 92. A total of 1320 acres were burned. Forward progression was stopped on April 4. Fire suppression costs tallied $90,000.

7. Feb 2, 2011Frost/Freeze, Upper Gila River And Aravaipa Valleys$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Temperatures dropped into the single digits across the Gila River Vally with wind chills dropping as low as -10 degrees. As a result, a water main line broke at Fifth Avenue and Second Street. More than 100 calls were received by Safford Utility in response to frozen pipes that later turned to broken pipes. Safford Fire Department responded to more than a dozen calls for malfunctioning sprinkler systems. Some businesses that received minor water damage were the Arizona Credit Union, the Veterans Administration Office and Thriftee Supermarket. ||In Thatcher, the Fire Department responded to the Thatcher school where sprinkler systems and backflow preventers in several buildings…

8. Sep 19, 2018Flash Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   During the late afternoon and evening 1.5-2.5 inches caused flash flooding in Thatcher. Two homes flooded and roads were flooded in Quail Ridge as the drainage canal overflowed. Farther north, several of the dorm rooms at the Eastern Arizona College|Campus, several of the Howards Place apartments on High School Avenue also suffered flood damage.

9. Jul 30, 2017Flash Flood$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding in Ash Canyon from Frye Fire burn scar damaged at least two homes, a chicken barn and an RV, and closed Cluff Ranch Road in several locations. An undisclosed number of people were stranded in the Cluff Pond recreation area and had to be rescued. Damage also occurred to Route 366 near Ladybug Saddle and Wet Canyon from flash flooding off the same burn scar.

10. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    More than two inches of rain accompanied by large hail that piled up to six inches deep in some locations caused flash flooding in Safford. Runoff filled Freeman Wash which caused minor damage to several homes and a school, and washed out part of 12th Avenue. The flood waters temporarily displaced twenty five residents. The school was closed for two weeks until repairs were completed. Flood waters also blocked roadways in rural areas, stranding 8,000 county fair visitors until waters receded.

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

114°FJun 30, 1994

All-time low

5°FFeb 3, 2011

Warmest night

83°FJul 20, 2022

Coldest day

26°FJan 11, 1962

Wettest day

2.80 inSep 7, 2016

Snowiest day

5.0 in2 times, most recently Feb 15, 1990

Hottest year

2024mean 68.2°F

Coldest year

1955mean 61.3°F

Wettest year

198317.37 in

Driest year

20202.88 in

Snowiest season

5.0 in1960-61

Station Safford Ag Center (USC00027390), 2,954 ft elevation, 1.6 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 24, 2026; 92.9% 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 Graham 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 USC00027390.
• 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.