Tornado watch in effect for northern half of Arizona

The National Weather Service issued several tornado warnings Wednesday morning as potent storms developed across Arizona.

Meanwhile, more than 675,000 residents in the northern half of the state were placed under a tornado watch for the rest of the day.

A warning for Flagstaff, Fort Valley, Mt. Elden, University Heights, Rogers Lake and A1 Mountain in Coconino County expired at 9:45 a.m.

A second warning in the area with the same expiration time added Doney Park, Sunset Crater National Monument, Timberline, East Flagstaff and Wupatki Trails.

The warnings indicated that quarter-size hail was possible and urged residents to take cover.

Earlier tornado warnings for areas south of Flagstaff, including Prescott, Prescott Valley, Clarkdale and Jerome, expired without any sightings.

Tornado watch issued for northern half of Arizona until 6 p.m.

After the initial wave of morning warnings, the weather service issued a tornado watch covering Mohave, Coconino, Yavapai and Navajo counties until 6 p.m.

A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Arizona until 6 PM MST pic.twitter.com/PWDPbZkscR

— NWS Flagstaff (@NWSFlagstaff) October 21, 2026

The watch highlighted the threat of tornadoes, tennis ball-sized hail and wind gusts up to 70 mph. The area covered has a population of 675,516, with 355 schools and 20 hospitals, according to the weather service.

When tornadic activity is predicted, detected or confirmed, the weather service issues three different types of alerts based on the threat level.

A watch tells the community to be prepared because tornadoes are possible. A warning means danger is imminent because a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar.

If a violent twister touches down and creates a severe threat to life and property, the weather service will issue a tornado emergency.

Is there a chance for tornadoes in the Phoenix area?

The probability of twisters forming in the Phoenix area Wednesday is less than 5%, but the chance of the potentially destructive funnel clouds is greater in higher terrains.

“We need what we call the low-level [wind] shear to be strong enough and also the directional turning of the winds with height. And so, that’s likely what we’re going to be experiencing here. So, that’s why there’s a higher-than-normal risk of potentially some isolated tornadoes,” meteorologist Gabriel Lojero of the weather service in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday morning.

Arizona sees an average of four to six tornadoes per year, according to the Arizona State Climate Office, typically in the EF0 to EF2 range of the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

While tornadoes are not out of the question, the Phoenix area is more likely to see thunderstorms with strong winds and hail Wednesday and Thursday.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

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