Yuma County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Yuma County: 0.
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 storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 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.

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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

Mapped by AZ GS (23).

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. Aug 26, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   As reported in the Yuma Sun, the Garden Landscaping Company at 830 South Orange Avenue was mostly destroyed by thunderstorm microburst winds, estimated to be near 75 knots. Damage was also reported at the O.G. RV Resort. The Yuma High School and Kofa High School sustained considerable wind and water damage.

2. Aug 26, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Zero visibility reported in rain along with gusty winds estimated at up to 80 mph. Damage was reported to homes and businesses with numerous trees uprooted. A huge pine tree fell on a house at the corner of 8th Avenue and 10th Street. Entire carports were torn from their foundations. A roof on a home in the 1100 block of Appaloose Lane was completely torn off of its rafters. The ceramic tiles on the top of the entrance to El Charro Cafe, 601 West 8th Street, were severely damaged. The roof of a self-serve car wash collapsed. There were several reports of car windshields broken due to flying debris. At the old Foxworth Galbraith hardward store, entire structures collapsed and lay…

3. Sep 2, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and as many as 11 power poles reported down due to strong winds. Peak gusts to 84 mph were recorded at the Yuma airport. Arizona Public Service reported about 9,600 people were left without power Sunday morning. Yuma Police responded to more than 120 emergency calls for service, most of which were storm related. Numerous eyewitnesses described the area around the 100 block of West 27th Place as the worst-hit section of town. Condos in that area had considerable roof damage with ceilings collapsing onto living rooms and dining rooms. Large hail and localized flooding was also reported in Yuma.

4. Aug 26, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several schools in the Yuma area, including Yuma High School, were damaged due to strong thunderstorm winds, and were closed on Friday August 27th. The old gym at Yuma High suffered roof damage, and shingles were blown off the roof of Centennial Middle School. Pecan Grove Elementary and Carver Elementary schools also reported wind damage.

5. Aug 26, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Spotter reports several houses damaged on May Street in Yuma. One house is uninhabitable. Most severe damage was near 23 Avenue and 5th Street.

6. Aug 26, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   About 30 power poles were snapped by strong microburst winds, estimated in excess of 60 kt. APS reported up to 16,660 customers were without power at the height of the storm. Many of the poles were downed in the area bounded by Avenue B to the west, 4th Avenue to the east, the Colorado River to the north, and 12th street to the south.

7. Aug 26, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several trees fell onto cars at 16th Street and Ave B.

8. Jul 21, 2021Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Multiple photos, videos, and media coverage show considerable damage around the small rural town of Tacna due to a microburst from a strong thunderstorm. Numerous trees were downed or broken. There were several downed or snapped power poles, causing a power outage to the area. Some trees and power poles fell on residential property, causing additional damage. There was extensive damage to residences and businesses. Several homes had their roof torn off by the winds. Yuma County Sheriff's Offices and the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Unit were dispatched for search and rescue efforts and to provide assistance to impacted individuals and families. Three families reportedly…

9. Aug 16, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$475,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A very strong storm moved through the town of Hyder, in far eastern Yuma county north of Interstate-8. The storm produced estimated wind gusts around 50-60 mph. A RAWS station 10-15 miles to the east measured a wind gust of 53 mph at 8:52 PM MST. The thunderstorm winds knocked over 63 power poles along Palomas road between Ave 64E and Agua Caliente Rd, as reported by the Yuma County Sheriff and confirmed by APS electric. APS also reported 300 customers lost power during th height of the storm.

10. Jul 19, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Strong thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours along the Interstate 8 corridor and they affected the communities of Roll and Tacna. The storms produced gusty microburst outflow winds that were estimated to be as high as 70 mph. According to a trained weather spotter, the damaging winds led to significant damage to trees, power poles, roofs and buildings in the Roll area. The downed power poles caused a power outage that lasted for several days, according to the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation District. At a local airfield, at least one small plane suffered substantial damage. Fortunately there were no injuries reported.

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

124°FJul 28, 1995

All-time low

25°FJan 14, 2007

Warmest night

94°FAug 31, 1998

Coldest day

46°FDec 23, 1990

Wettest day

3.98 inSep 25, 1997

Hottest year

2014mean 80.3°F

Coldest year

1982mean 73.8°F

Wettest year

19978.43 in

Driest year

20020.03 in

Station Yuma Mcas (USW00003145), 213 ft elevation, 0.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1982 to October 26, 2026; 88.5% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00003145.
• 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.