Tooele
Population 42,270 (2025)
12 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Tooele since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on May 8, 1998.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195012
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 198456
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Tooele County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Tooele County.
Strongest tornado
F2
February 9, 1965, 0.1 mile path
Tornadoes
About one every 6.3 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
February 9, 1965
F2, 0.1 mile path
13 yards wide.
Most recent
Friday, May 8, 1998
F0, 0.1 mile path
28 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| May 8, 1998 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 5, 1997 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 3, 1993 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 30, 1992 | F0 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 25, 1991 | F1 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 16, 1990 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 1989 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2, 1989 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 10, 1989 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 9, 1986 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 25, 1965 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 9, 1965 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
56 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
August 6, 2009
Big Pole Fire, 41,564 acres
15.6 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
July 9, 2022
Jacob City Fire
3,882 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Jacob City | 2022 | 6.1 | 3,882 |
| Big Springs | 2020 | 18.9 | 2,955 |
| Tabby Canyon | 2020 | 19.2 | 14,324 |
| Green Ravine | 2019 | 9.7 | 2,261 |
| South Timpie Springs | 2019 | 20.3 | 1,271 |
| Black | 2018 | 11.6 | 1,770 |
| Ellerbeck | 2018 | 15.7 | 3,716 |
| Davis | 2017 | 23.7 | 35,056 |
| Tribal | 2016 | 23.2 | 1,921 |
| West Antelope | 2016 | 22.5 | 15,477 |
| Anaconda | 2014 | 3.3 | 1,144 |
| Patch Springs | 2013 | 16.7 | 29,557 |
| Shanty Canyon | 2012 | 19.3 | 3,419 |
| Pinyon | 2012 | 15.2 | 5,660 |
| Dump | 2012 | 22.0 | 5,674 |
| Ophir Creek | 2012 | 12.5 | 1,588 |
| 73 | 2012 | 17.8 | 1,549 |
| Machine Gun | 2010 | 13.1 | 4,077 |
| Big Pole | 2009 | 15.6 | 41,564 |
| Big Creek | 2007 | 16.3 | 1,539 |
| Kimbell | 2007 | 12.5 | 16,938 |
| Timpie 1 | 2007 | 19.9 | 1,846 |
| Cedar Fort | 2007 | 14.1 | 2,164 |
| Hagen | 2006 | 21.1 | 1,055 |
| Saddle | 2006 | 5.3 | 2,389 |
| South | 2006 | 20.4 | 3,352 |
| St John | 2006 | 12.2 | 2,894 |
| Williams Fire | 2003 | 19.1 | 1,476 |
| Dynamite | 2002 | 16.3 | 2,636 |
| Beef Hollow | 2001 | 15.8 | 9,057 |
| Timpie | 2001 | 19.2 | 4,932 |
| Cow Hollow | 2000 | 14.1 | 2,263 |
| Castlerock | 2000 | 19.1 | 16,715 |
| Molly | 2000 | 22.5 | 3,771 |
| Borrow Pit | 2000 | 6.5 | 4,183 |
| Long Ridge | 1999 | 13.8 | 1,132 |
| Highway 36 | 1999 | 19.8 | 2,541 |
| Rush | 1999 | 5.9 | 3,449 |
| Faust | 1998 | 17.5 | 6,951 |
| Railroad 1 | 1997 | 18.3 | 1,910 |
| North Stansbury Complex (Lime) | 1996 | 14.7 | 4,587 |
| Camp Floyd | 1996 | 22.4 | 5,588 |
| Davis Knoll Complex (Goshute) | 1996 | 21.3 | 3,831 |
| Davis Knoll Complex (Davis Knoll) | 1996 | 22.6 | 34,833 |
| Camp Williams | 1995 | 16.8 | 3,178 |
| Stansbury Island | 1995 | 22.1 | 5,061 |
| Terra | 1995 | 20.3 | 7,367 |
| Islandrnch | 1994 | 21.0 | 3,012 |
| Terra | 1994 | 21.1 | 2,515 |
| Chokecherry Flat | 1994 | 19.3 | 2,531 |
| Pole Canyon | 1992 | 14.1 | 3,946 |
| Big Hollow | 1990 | 13.0 | 4,858 |
| Johnsonpas | 1990 | 20.2 | 1,446 |
| Box Elder | 1989 | 11.5 | 2,967 |
| Circus | 1986 | 12.4 | 2,672 |
| Salt Mtn | 1986 | 20.7 | 2,459 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2021: 54 days
Heavy smoke on 29 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
13.3 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
6 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 19 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
7 federal flood insurance claims since 1979, with $62,000 paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Tooele County, the county that contains Tooele.
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood17
- Flood7
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Tooele County, the county that contains Tooele.
| Jul 24, 1998 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 2.45 | −1.35 |
| Jun 26, 2005 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 2.02 | −1.78 |
| May 28, 1982 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 2.02 | −1.78 |
| Jun 5, 1995 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.99 | −1.81 |
| Jun 1, 1984 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.96 | −1.84 |
| Jun 16, 1999 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.85 | −1.95 |
| May 29, 1983 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.81 | −1.99 |
| May 18, 1997 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.80 | −2.00 |
| Jun 1, 1986 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.79 | −2.01 |
| Jun 7, 1996 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.73 | −2.07 |
| May 11, 1985 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.70 | −2.10 |
| May 26, 1993 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.65 | −2.15 |
| Jun 8, 1991 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.60 | −2.20 |
| May 10, 1989 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.58 | −2.22 |
| Jun 3, 2002 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.58 | −2.22 |
| May 15, 2001 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.56 | −2.24 |
| May 26, 2003 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.55 | −2.25 |
| May 13, 1994 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.54 | −2.26 |
| Jun 6, 2004 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.52 | −2.28 |
| May 29, 2000 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.51 | −2.29 |
| Jun 11, 1990 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.50 | −2.30 |
| May 9, 1992 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.45 | −2.35 |
| May 18, 1988 | South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 1.43 | −2.37 |
River gauges
| South Willow Creek above Grantsville | 3.8 | 2.45 ft | 0 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 209 of 1,581 months since 1895 (13%); the longest spell lasted 21 months.
The drought index is for Tooele County, the county that contains Tooele.
209
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
76
Months in extreme drought
13%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
July 2026
−8.09, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
21 months
May 2002 to January 2004.
Latest month
September 2026
−6.19, extreme drought
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes and landslides
17 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.7 in 2020.
61
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
17
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
4
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
March 18, 2020
5 km NNE of Magna, Utah; 18.9 miles away, 7.4 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
February 13, 2026
Magnitude 3.5
4 km NNW of West Valley City, Utah; 19.5 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Apr 16, 2020 | 4.2 | 18.7 |
| Apr 14, 2020 | 4.2 | 18.8 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 4.6 | 19.6 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 4.6 | 19.7 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 4.2 | 16.4 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 4.0 | 18.7 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 5.7 | 18.9 |
| Mar 16, 1992 | 4.2 | 14.9 |
| May 24, 1980 | 5.0 | 45.4 |
| Sep 5, 1962 | 5.0 | 16.9 |
| Feb 4, 1916 | 4.0 | 49.2 |
| Aug 11, 1915 | 4.8 | 18.2 |
| Jul 15, 1915 | 4.3 | 38.4 |
| May 13, 1914 | 4.8 | 48.4 |
| Apr 8, 1914 | 4.0 | 36.8 |
| May 22, 1910 | 5.3 | 28.9 |
| Aug 1, 1900 | 4.4 | 38.8 |
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
Landslides mapped in Tooele County.
127
Landslides mapped, probable or better
1
With a recorded date
3
Source inventories
Mapped by UT GRC (95), USGS Conterminous (31), NASA (1).
- Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.
USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
1,095 events in the National Weather Service record for Tooele County, 1,041 of them since 1996.
16
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
765
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
46
Winter weather events since 1996
3
Heat events since 1996
0
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
June 12, 2016
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
June 19, 2017
93 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 2 | 2 |
| Dust storms and dust devils | 1 | 0 |
| Debris flows | 3 | 0 |
| Avalanches | 1 | 1 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Aug 1, 2021Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
In Tooele, 37 homes were flooded. Additionally, multiple roads were closed due to flooding.
- Oct 4, 2025Flood$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Tooele County EM reported 12 homes with flooding in Tooele and 35 homes total across eastern Tooele County with some degree of flooding.
- Aug 10, 2013Wildfire, Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains$350,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Patch Springs Fire began due to a lightning strike on August 10, two miles from the community of Terra, Utah, which eventually received some damage as the fire spread. Property damage from this fire first occurred on August 17, and the fire eventually grew to 31,010 acres before being contained on August 24. ||The fire destroyed 5 trailer homes and significantly damaged 1 additional trailer home. In addition, 8 outbuildings and 1 commercial property were destroyed by the flames. Along Highway 199, 26 power poles were damaged or destroyed by the fire.
- Apr 27, 2010High Wind, Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
The strongest recorded wind gusts in the Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains included 83 mph at Hat Island, 72 mph at Rosebud, 70 mph at I-80 at White's Valley, 69 mph at the North Salt Flats sensor, 64 mph at Promontory Point, and 62 mph at the Wendover POE sensor. The major damage in the area occurred near the National Weather Service radar at Promontory Point, where 21 power poles that supply power to the radar were snapped.
- Jun 12, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
A wild and wooly winter-like storm blew into Northern Utah, bringing strong winds and record cold temperatures. The strong cold front brought wind gusts of 84 mph (73 kts) to the west side of the Great Salt Lake. A line of severe thunderstorms developed along the front as it moved into the Wasatch Front. Wind gusts from 60-75 mph were common from Brigham City to Provo, and in the Tooele Valley. Many large trees were downed across the Salt Lake Valley, with roofs and siding damaged as well. Only one minor injury as a boy was hit by a falling tree. Several homes and a few cars were damaged as well by falling trees, and a semi-trailer was turned over on I-80 between Tooele and…
- Apr 14, 2015High Wind, Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains$150,000
National Weather Service narrative
The winds were strongest across Utah's northwest desert, with maximum wind gusts of 82 mph at both Lakeside Mountain and English Village, 81 mph at the Interstate 80 at Milepost 1 sensor, 75 mph at Badger Island, 74 mph at Upper Cedar Mountain, 72 mph at the Wendover Point of Entry, and many observations in the 55-70 mph range. The largest impact was along Interstate 80 near Delle, where low visibility in blowing dust was a major factor in a large pilup crash. A semitruck slowed down when experiencing reduced visibilities, but this caused several passenger vehicles to collide with the back of the truck. After the chain reaction was finished, a total of 6 semitrucks and 11…
- Aug 22, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
A line of severe thunderstorms blew threw much of Tooele County, kicking up a wall of dust and producing severe wind gusts all along the Mesonet. As the line approached the Grantsville area, it overturned 3 semi-trailer trucks on Interstate 15.
- Jul 22, 2022Thunderstorm Wind$80,000
National Weather Service narrative
A strong microburst near Erda, UT was observed by a live area webcam. Multiple pictures were later received showing a large tree downed, roof shingles blown off, play structures damaged and/or blown over, fences damaged, a house under construction damaged, and a center pivot damaged. Based on the damage pictures, an estimated wind gust of around 70 mph was determined.
- Aug 2, 2023Flash Flood$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
There were reports of street flooding, road closures, and vehicles stranded.
- Mar 29, 2009High Wind, Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Several very strong wind gusts were recorded across the west deserts of Utah, including a wind gust of 73 mph at the Callao Gate sensor. Other gusts included 69 mph at the Causeway sensor, 67 mph at Wendover Point of Entry, and 65 mph at the North Salt Flats sensor. In addition, three semitrailers were blown over by the strong winds along I-80. Some small trees were also blown over near Wendover.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Tooele, 0.8 miles from the city centre, with records from 1896.
- All-time high
- 106°F2 times, most recently Jul 31, 2000
- All-time low
- −16°F2 times, most recently Dec 23, 1990
- Warmest night
- 88°FJun 27, 1922
- Coldest day
- 4°F2 times, most recently Dec 22, 1990
- Wettest day
- 3.71 inMay 30, 2005
- Snowiest day
- 23.0 inFeb 22, 2023
- Hottest year
- 2003mean 55.7°F
- Coldest year
- 1912mean 47.7°F
- Wettest year
- 198328.32 in
- Driest year
- 20207.66 in
- Snowiest season
- 160.0 in1983-84
Median first snow
November 3
Earliest: September 29, 2007
Median last snow
April 21
Latest: June 6, 1995
0 of 85 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Tooele (USC00428771), 4,944 ft elevation, 0.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1896 to October 27, 2026; 98.8% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
11 since 1953. The most recent: Cherry Fire, June 27, 2026.
Declarations for Tooele County.
| Jun 27, 2026 | Fire | FM-5641-UT |
| Jun 21, 2026 | Fire | FM-5639-UT |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | DR-4525-UT |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3478-UT |
| Jul 21, 2014 | Fire | FM-5065-UT |
| Aug 8, 2011 | Flood | DR-4011-UT |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3223-UT |
| Aug 1, 2005 | Flood | DR-1598-UT |
| Aug 17, 1984 | Flood | DR-720-UT |
| Apr 30, 1983 | Flood | DR-680-UT |
| Jan 20, 1977 | Drought | EM-3024-UT |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00428771.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.