Metro Phoenix’s 7 tornadoes in 2019 was most in nearly 50 years

PHOENIX – Funnel clouds and dark twisting air are more commonplace in other parts of the country, but not Arizona. So when seven tornadoes were recorded in the Phoenix area for 2019, that was big.

The seven confirmed tornadoes were the most in the Valley and surrounding areas since 10 touched down in 1972.

“It’s not unprecedented, but (the number) was very, very unusual,” National Weather Service meteorologist Marvin Percha told KTAR News 92.3 FM this week.

“We’ve been keeping records since 1950,” he said.

Here are the list/locations of the 2019 tornadoes. @JorgeTWeather #azwx pic.twitter.com/DwniNEwdgg

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) January 7, 2020

Three tornadoes touched down in Maricopa County on the same day – Black Friday. They whipped up the post-Thanksgiving hours in Gilbert, Paradise Valley and near Queen Creek.

Utility poles and trees came down during those spinners; roofs were damaged.

“You need a couple of things to get tornadoes here – unstable air mass and … some way to induce the spin in the atmosphere and that’s generally through some sort of wind shear,” Percha said.

In addition, warm air from the ground pushes up to add to the mix.

Last year’s tornadoes were in the F0 and F1 range, which is regarded as weak. Winds are between 65-85 mph and light damage is the rule of thumb. The worst rating is F5. Winds surpass 200 mph.

A tornado wrecked about 200 homes in Paradise Valley on June 21, 1972.

“I would consider that the standard for which tornadoes are measured here,” Percha said.

Meteorologists said there were five confirmed tornadoes in the Phoenix area in 1992 and 1993.

There were four tornadoes in 1971.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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