NWS Rates Three Arizona Tornadoes EF1 After Damage Survey
The National Weather Service's Flagstaff office released a damage survey Oct. 28, 2026, confirming three tornadoes from Arizona's Oct. 21, 2026, storm outbreak and rating each one EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which runs from EF0 to EF5. Peak winds in the three tornadoes were estimated at 105 mph to 110 mph. None of the three caused any deaths, and only one, near Heber-Overgaard, caused an injury.
In Coconino County, the Wing Mountain Tornado touched down at 5:41 a.m. MST on Oct. 21, 2026, about 3.5 miles north of the Bellemont community. It moved northeast through forest for 2.34 miles, with peak winds estimated at 110 mph, before dissipating west of Highway 180; the survey found large uprooted and snapped ponderosa pine trees along the path. Initial storm reports had described wind damage near Bellemont, with no tornado confirmed at the time.
In Navajo County, the Heber-Overgaard Tornado developed south of the community at 6:59 p.m. MST on Oct. 21, 2026, and tracked north across Highway 260 and through town before dissipating near Highway 277. Peak winds reached 110 mph along the storm's 9.26-mile path, and tree and roof damage occurred on the south side of Highway 260 and in central Overgaard. A separate report from the same storm had tallied 46 damaged structures in Heber-Overgaard, before the tornado itself was confirmed.
In Yavapai County, the Spruce Mountain Tornado touched down near Lookout Mountain at 7:32 a.m. MST on Oct. 21, 2026, and traveled north-northeast for 8.02 miles before dissipating near Walker Road. The weather service based the EF1 rating on swaths of snapped and uprooted ponderosa pine trees, with peak winds estimated at 105 mph.
