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Possible tornado damages Heber-Overgaard as severe storms cross Arizona
National Weather Service meteorologists suspect at least three tornadoes in central Arizona late Wednesday, with one injury reported as not life-threatening, as more severe weather moved through Thursday, the AP said.
- Our desk filed its story
- Still developing
- New headline Was: “Possible tornado damages Heber-Overgaard as severe storms cross Arizona”
- azfamily is now reporting this
- Our desk updated its story
- Still developing
- Our desk updated its story
- Our desk updated its story
16 earlier updates
- Our desk updated its story
- ABC15, AZFamily and 2 more are now reporting this
- New headline Was: “Arizona storms topple trees and bring golf ball-sized hail in possible tornado”
- Our desk filed its story
- Still developing
- Local 10 is now reporting this
- The Philadelphia Inquirer is now reporting this
- Now breaking news
- Our desk updated its story
- ClickOnDetroit and KSAT are now reporting this
- New headline Was: “Arizona storms topple trees and bring golf ball-sized hail in possible tornado”
- Our desk filed its story
- The Guardian is now reporting this
- The Seattle Times is now reporting this
- ClickOrlando is now reporting this
- First reported by NWS Flagstaff (Tornado Warning)
Wire reporting: (AP, via ClickOrlando)
Primary sources: NWS Flagstaff Tornado Warning, 7:02 p.m. MST, Oct. 21, 2026, Navajo County Sheriff's Office Facebook page (link only, not read)
A possible tornado struck Heber-Overgaard, a Navajo County community of about 3,000 people, on Wednesday evening, KTAR reported9. NWS Flagstaff told KTAR a tornado likely touched down around 7 p.m.9; ABC15's chief meteorologist put the likely touchdown near 8 p.m.7. The weather service had warned of radar-indicated rotation at 7:02 p.m.10.
The Navajo County Sheriff's Office reported significant damage and minor injuries, ABC15 reported7. More than 1,200 customers remained without power, according to KTAR9. A reception center opened at the Navajo County Heber Complex, with a Red Cross shelter being coordinated, ABC15 said7.
An updated Associated Press account carried by Local 10 said weather service meteorologists suspect at least three tornadoes as storms moved across central Arizona late Wednesday, and that the reported injury was not life-threatening14. The AP said more severe weather, including large hail, continued Thursday, with much of Arizona under tornado and flood watches14.
State Rep. Walt Blackman asked Gov. Katie Hobbs to declare a state of emergency, AZFamily and KTAR reported8,9. Hail and downed trees were also reported in Flagstaff and Mesa, the AP said1,2. KTAR said a survey to confirm a tornado could take until Thursday or Friday9.
In a Thursday follow-up, AZFamily said Clouse put preliminary damage at 20 to 30 structures and that a bicyclist was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries16. Heber-Overgaard Fire District Chief Jason Payne said crews took more than a dozen 911 calls in the first 30 minutes16. Navopache Electric restored most power around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, AZFamily reported16.
Sources
- (AP, via ClickOrlando)Violent Arizona storms bring possible tornado, toppled trees and golf ball-size hailAlso (AP, via The Guardian), (AP, via ClickOnDetroit), (AP, via KSAT), (AP, via The Seattle Times), (AP, via The Philadelphia Inquirer), (AP, via Local 10)
- ABC15Significant damage reported after likely tornado touches down in Heber-Overgaard area
- AZFamilyPossible tornado tears through Heber-Overgaard, leaving damage and outages
- KTAR News 92.3 FMProbable tornado hits Heber-Overgaard in Northern Arizona as radar detects strong rotation
- NWS Flagstaff (Tornado Warning)Tornado Warning, National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ, 702 PM MST Wed Oct 21 2026
Navajo County Sheriff's Office (Facebook)12NewsLocal 10+2 moreHide
- Navajo County Sheriff's Office (Facebook)Navajo County Sheriff's Office Facebook page
- 12NewsStorm causes widespread power outage in Heber-Overgaard
- Local 10'Zeus was angry:' Arizona surveys damage from at least 3 rare tornadoes
- 12News'This doesn't happen in Arizona': Massive clean-up effort underway after suspected tornado strikes Heber-Overgaard
- AZFamily‘No warning:’ Suspected tornado slams Heber-Overgaard community; 1 injured
How it’s being reported
9 versions from 5 sources
ABC affiliates · 2 stations+1 more
Violent Arizona storms bring possible tornado, toppled trees and golf ball-size hail
Gives this outlet’s account of the story.
Same copy also at: (AP, via The Guardian) · (AP, via ClickOnDetroit) · (AP, via KSAT) · (AP, via The Seattle Times) · (AP, via The Philadelphia Inquirer) · (AP, via Local 10)
Significant damage reported after likely tornado touches down in Heber-Overgaard area
Damage, injuries and where displaced residents can go.
Phoenix station's report relaying the sheriff's office statement, its own meteorologist's radar read and Rep. Blackman's post.
Leaves out No outage count.
Possible tornado tears through Heber-Overgaard, leaving damage and outages
Downed power poles, a resident's account and areas to avoid.
Phoenix station's account with a resident's description and the sheriff's road closures.
Leaves out Gives no outage count; says the number of affected customers was unclear.
Same copy also at: AZFamily
Probable tornado hits Heber-Overgaard in Northern Arizona as radar detects strong rotation
The weather service's assessment and the timeline for confirmation.
Phoenix radio report quoting the NWS Flagstaff office on the likely tornado.
Leaves out Little on injuries beyond Blackman's count.
Tornado Warning, National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ, 702 PM MST Wed Oct 21 2026
A storm capable of producing a tornado over Heber-Overgaard, radar-indicated rotation, moving northeast at 40 mph.
Primary source: the weather service's 7:02 p.m. MST warning for Navajo County.
Leaves out A warning, not a confirmation; no survey results yet.
Navajo County Sheriff's Office Facebook page
Gives this outlet’s account of the story.
Linked for reference only; the office's incident post could not be read here, so its statements are cited through ABC15 and AZFamily.
Storm causes widespread power outage in Heber-Overgaard
The outage and crews working to restore power.
Phoenix station's brief relaying Navopache Electric Cooperative's Facebook post on a widespread outage and restoration work.
Leaves out No customer count, injuries or tornado assessment.
'Zeus was angry:' Arizona surveys damage from at least 3 rare tornadoes
NWS suspects at least three tornadoes; Thursday follow-up storms.
Carries an updated AP report.
'This doesn't happen in Arizona': Massive clean-up effort underway after suspected tornado strikes Heber-Overgaard
Cleanup after a suspected tornado, per the headline.
Phoenix station follow-up on cleanup after a suspected tornado; the article page could not be read here (403), so no additional facts were taken from it.
Leaves out Full text unread; injury and fatality claims in the desk blurb were not independently verified from this URL.