County storm facts
Storm prep for Maricopa County residents
Maricopa County has had 2,633 flood insurance claims since 1978, 23 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1966, and 139 mapped wildfires that started here since 2021.
Sources:
Local data from official sources, updated weekly. This snapshot: September 29, 2026. Alerts load live from the National Weather Service when you open this page.
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Source: National Weather Service alerts.
Forecasts for this county (NWS county zone AZC013) come from:
Source: National Weather Service (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Help right now
Live from FEMA and the Red Cross shelter list. Check your address on the home page for what’s nearest you.
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FEMA assistance
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Recent burn areas
139 fires that started in Maricopa County since January 1, 2021 have a mapped perimeter, covering 101,273 acres in all.
Largest
| Fire | Year | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Sand Stone | 2024 | 27,390 |
| Wildcat | 2024 | 14,402 |
| Black | 2024 | 11,154 |
Acres are each fire’s whole mapped area, which can reach past the county line.
Burned hillsides can’t soak up heavy rain, so mud and debris can rush downhill with little warning.
Source: NIFC WFIGS Interagency Fire Perimeters (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Flood history
2,633 flood insurance claims have been filed in Maricopa County since 1978. 214 of them were for floods from 2017 to 2026.
The years with the most claims: 1978 (317), 1980 (266), 2014 (247).
This is history, not a prediction. These are National Flood Insurance Program claims, so they only count insured buildings.
FEMA’s data runs through September 8, 2026.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Redacted Claims (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Federal disaster declarations
Maricopa County has been part of 23 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1966: 11 for fires and 12 for storms, floods or mudslides.
Most recent
- Boulder View FireJune 28, 2024 · FM-5501-AZ
- Rose FireJune 12, 2024 · FM-5496-AZ
- Diamond FireJune 28, 2023 · FM-5466-AZ
FEMA’s ids start with DR for a major disaster, EM for an emergency and FM for fire management.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Landslide-prone ground
USGS maps about 32% of Maricopa County as ground susceptible to landslides. Its national inventory lists 154 documented landslides in the county.
This is a county-wide figure, not a rating for your spot. Steep slopes, road cuts and burned hillsides above you matter most in heavy rain.
From the USGS U.S. Landslide Inventory and Susceptibility data release (2024). Susceptible ground is terrain steep and high enough for landslides like those mapped in similar places. The inventory counts only slides someone mapped, and some states map few, so a low count doesn’t mean the ground is stable.
Source: USGS landslide susceptibility, county table (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Rain in past strong El Niño winters
October–March rainfall at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport weather station in past strong El Niño winters, compared with its 1991–2020 normal.
Oct–Mar rainfall in past strong El Niño winters, as % of the 1991–2020 normal — Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
5 of the 7 strong El Niño winters on record at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were wetter than normal. They ranged from 50% of normal (2015-16) to 206% (1972-73) — a tendency, not a guarantee.
| Winter | ONI (DJF) | Oct–Mar total | % of normal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-58 | 1.69 | 6.07 in | 123% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1972-73 | 1.55 | 10.15 in | 206% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1982-83 | 2.14 | 9.18 in | 186% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1991-92 | 1.54 | 9.05 in | 184% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1997-98 | 2.22 | 5.55 in | 113% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2015-16 | 2.50 | 2.48 in | 50% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2023-24 | 1.84 | 4.57 in | 93% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
Source: NOAA NCEI (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Local help
Help lines, alert sign-ups and official emergency pages for this county and state.
- County alertsMaricopa County emergency notifications (opens in a new tab)
- County emergency officeMaricopa County Emergency Management (opens in a new tab)
- 2112-1-1 Arizona (opens in a new tab)
- Federal disaster helpDisasterAssistance.gov (opens in a new tab)
- Open sheltersRed Cross open shelter finder (opens in a new tab)
- Road conditionsAZ511 (opens in a new tab)
Power and internet outages
Power
Main power companies in Arizona. Your bill names yours; check your address to see which may serve it.
Internet and phone
- Carrier statusAT&T outage map (opens in a new tab)
- Carrier statusSpectrum service status (opens in a new tab)
- Regional internet outagesCloudflare Radar: internet outages (opens in a new tab)
4 more we haven’t verified: search for them by name
- Carrier statusVerizon outage/status
- Carrier statusT-Mobile service status
- Carrier statusXfinity/Comcast support
- Carrier statusFrontier outage map
What about your street?
County numbers can’t tell you about your home. Check your address against the official flood, fire and landslide maps and live warnings.