Maricopa County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Maricopa County is about the same as Arizona average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Maricopa County is higher than Arizona average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #8
| Maricopa County | 0.08 |
| Arizona | 0.13 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #10
| Maricopa County | 0.0000 |
| Arizona | 0.0015 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #1
| Maricopa County | 42.74 |
| Arizona | 22.18 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 2,000 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Maricopa County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 0 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 1 |
| Dust Storm: | 3 | Flood: | 268 | Hail: | 303 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 0 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 3 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,044 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 10 | Winter Storm: | 0 | Winter Weather: | 0 |
| Other: | 368 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
A total of 1 volcano is found in or near Maricopa County.
| Distance (miles) | Name | Region | Latitude | Longitude | Elevation (foot) | Type | Status | Last Eruption |
| 123.4 | Pinacate | Mexico, Mexico | 31.772 | -113.498 | 1200 | Cinder cone | Holocene | Undated, but probable Holocene eruption |
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Maricopa County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Maricopa County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 6 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Maricopa County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 11.7 | 1968-10-03 | 2 | 33°30'N / 112°24'W | 33°30'N / 112°25'W | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Maricopa | ||
| 15.0 | 1971-09-14 | 2 | 33°27'N / 112°16'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Maricopa | |||
| 34.2 | 1972-06-21 | 2 | 33°28'N / 112°00'W | 33°39'N / 111°55'W | 13.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25.0M | 0 | Maricopa |
| 35.0 | 1971-08-30 | 2 | 33°22'N / 111°55'W | 33°25'N / 111°52'W | 4.70 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 41 | 2.5M | 0 | Maricopa |
| 39.0 | 1993-01-17 | 2 | 33°37'N / 111°54'W | 2.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | 0 | Maricopa | |
| Brief Description: Eighteen homes sustained damage, 4 with major damage, many trees and signs blown over by tornado. Most damage occurred when the tornado moved east from 59th and Clinton to 72nd and Cholla. Controllers from the nearby Scottsdale Airport watched this tornado move through this ,north Scottsdale residential area. | |||||||||||
| 43.1 | 1968-07-04 | 2 | 33°24'N / 111°45'W | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Maricopa | |||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.