Severe weather in the Great Plains has been the big weather story lately. In just the past week there have been over 134 tornadoes touching down across the United States. With all of this severe weather, it might make you wonder if Arizona ever sees tornadoes or if it is always just sunshine.
From 1952 through 2014, records from the Storm Prediction Center indicate there have been 237 tornadoes across the state of Arizona. These tornadoes have been responsible for three deaths and 147 injuries.
Of the three people that have died as a direct result of tornadoes, two of those fatalities came from a single tornado that moved through the east side of Tucson on Aug. 27, 1964. This tornado caused 9 injuries and resulted in $5,000 to $15,000 in damages.
Forty people were injured when a tornado developed southwest of Tucson on June 23, 1974, and caused an estimated $50,000 to $500,000 in damages. This tornado currently holds the record for the most people injured in a single tornado event in Arizona. Interestingly, the tornadoes causing the most injuries and the most deaths occurred in Tucson ten years apart from one another.
The tornado that remained on the ground for the longest distance in Arizona occurred during the morning hours of Oct. 6, 2010. The tornado was rated as an EF2, caused seven injuries and was on the ground for 34 miles in northern Arizona. The tornado began northwest of Sedona and finally dissipated northwest of Arizona Snow Bowl along US-180.
This long-track tornado was part of the largest tornado outbreak in Arizona history. Throughout the day on Oct. 6, 2013, eight tornadoes occurred in northern Arizona causing significant damage to numerous locations. Damages included: derailing 21 rail cars, flipping trucks on highways, collapsing large power transmission line towers and damaging numerous structures.
The strongest tornado recorded in Arizona has been an F3; and, out of the 237 tornadoes recorded in the state, only three have been F3s.
So, even though Arizona does not see a a large number of tornadoes each year -- on average five per year -- there is still a chance of twisters within the state.
You can be assured that no matter if there is sunny weather or severe weather, you can stay up to date on the latest weather conditions at weather.12news.com or download the 12 News App.
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