Beaver County
Population 7,301 (2025) 2,583 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 249,254 acres of Beaver County since 1984, 7th most of 29 counties in Utah; the largest was the Milford Flat Fire in 2007.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths since 19507
- Wildfire burn scars since 198437
At a glance
The record for Beaver County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Acres burned since 1984
249,254
7th of 29 in Utah
37 large fires; the largest was Milford Flat, 2007
DetailsStrongest tornado
F0
September 4, 2001, 5.0 mile path
Tornadoes
About one every 11 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
September 4, 2001
F0, 5.0 mile path
20 yards wide.
Most recent
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
EF0, 0.1 mile path
14 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Aug 21, 2012 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2009 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 4, 2001 | F0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 1992 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7, 1991 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 3, 1982 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 29, 1982 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Beaver County: 0.
- 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
249,254 acres burned in 37 large fires since 1984, equal to 15% of the land.
Largest
July 6, 2007
Milford Flat Fire, 348,702 acres
113,882 acres inside Beaver County.
Most recent
August 4, 2023
Thompson Ridge Fire
6,813 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Thompson Ridge | 2023 | 1,306 | 6,813 |
| Greenville | 2020 | 1,146 | 1,147 |
| Antelope | 2020 | 1,519 | 20,662 |
| Skull Flat 2 | 2019 | 2,527 | 2,525 |
| Mm122 I15 | 2019 | 1,258 | 1,259 |
| Skull Flat | 2019 | 1,667 | 1,666 |
| Cove Creek | 2018 | 544 | 2,438 |
| Black Mountain | 2018 | 450 | 5,433 |
| Briggs | 2016 | 6,805 | 6,804 |
| Black Mountain | 2013 | 502 | 4,603 |
| Antelope | 2013 | 1,274 | 5,517 |
| Baboon | 2012 | 3,860 | 20,454 |
| White Rock | 2012 | 284 | 5,607 |
| Wrangler | 2011 | 4,225 | 8,502 |
| Twitchell Canyon | 2010 | 16,932 | 42,943 |
| Broken Ridge | 2009 | 459 | 5,454 |
| Greenville | 2007 | 5,840 | 13,036 |
| Milford Flat | 2007 | 113,882 | 348,702 |
| Badger | 2006 | 3,171 | 8,104 |
| Frisco | 2005 | 1,396 | 1,394 |
| Parsnip | 2002 | 786 | 1,182 |
| Coyote | 2000 | 688 | 16,283 |
| Badger Pk | 1999 | 136 | 1,064 |
| Meadow Spring | 1999 | 1,331 | 1,334 |
| Minersville | 1998 | 4,330 | 4,329 |
| Cunningham | 1996 | 14,866 | 14,855 |
| Honey Boy | 1996 | 11,113 | 11,112 |
| Sorenson Complex (South Twin Peaks) | 1996 | 9,893 | 46,571 |
| Pole Creek | 1996 | 178 | 5,813 |
| Milford Pass | 1995 | 9,589 | 10,136 |
| Milfordben | 1994 | 10,338 | 10,336 |
| Antelopemt | 1994 | 731 | 7,363 |
| Cave Canyon | 1994 | 1,197 | 1,197 |
| White Rock | 1993 | 1,479 | 3,111 |
| Water Holl | 1989 | 1,065 | 1,067 |
| Negro Mag | 1987 | 10,607 | 10,605 |
| Cactuspond | 1986 | 1,864 | 1,865 |
- 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: 37 days
Heavy smoke on 15 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
8.9 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
8 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 14 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
3 federal flood insurance claims since 1983, with $20,000 paid.
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood16
- Heavy Rain3
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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 175 of 1,581 months since 1895 (11%); the longest spell lasted 20 months.
175
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
80
Months in extreme drought
11%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
June 2026
−8.18, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
20 months
February 2025 to September 2026.
Latest month
September 2026
−6.30, 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, volcanoes and landslides
27 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 6.6 in 1901.
91
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
213
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
27
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
4
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
September 12, 2026
Magnitude 3.1
16 km NE of Milford, Utah; inside the county.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Oct 3, 2020 | 4.4 | 4.2 |
| Jun 30, 2019 | 4.2 | 28.8 |
| Apr 13, 2019 | 4.1 | 19.2 |
| Feb 20, 2019 | 4.0 | 11.4 |
| Jan 15, 2016 | 4.2 | 44.5 |
| Jul 4, 2015 | 4.1 | 20.9 |
| Apr 11, 2012 | 4.2 | 29.5 |
| Jan 3, 2011 | 4.6 | 1.7 |
| Oct 22, 1999 | 4.1 | 16.7 |
| Jan 2, 1998 | 4.4 | Inside |
| Sep 5, 1994 | 4.0 | 9.7 |
| Apr 20, 1991 | 4.6 | 19.4 |
| Dec 22, 1984 | 4.1 | 36.4 |
| Aug 13, 1979 | 4.1 | 14.2 |
| Nov 4, 1974 | 4.3 | 0.8 |
| Jan 3, 1972 | 4.6 | 19.4 |
| Jul 26, 1969 | 4.1 | 21.0 |
| Oct 4, 1967 | 5.0 | 15.8 |
| Aug 19, 1966 | 4.2 | 49.7 |
| Aug 16, 1966 | 5.9 | 50.0 |
| Jun 5, 1962 | 4.5 | 20.9 |
| Sep 20, 1936 | 4.7 | 42.1 |
| Sep 29, 1921 | 5.2 | 24.1 |
| Dec 13, 1914 | 4.0 | 43.8 |
| Jan 11, 1910 | 4.8 | 21.1 |
| Jan 10, 1910 | 4.8 | 21.1 |
| Nov 13, 1901 | 6.6 | 5.7 |
- 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 county boundary (or inside the county).
- 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.
Volcanoes within 100 miles
| Black Rock Desert Volcanic Field | 27.5 | Moderate |
| Markagunt Plateau Volcanic Field | 41.3 | Low |
- U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.
USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
236
Landslides mapped, probable or better
2
With a recorded date
2
Source inventories
Mapped by UT GRC (234), NASA (2).
- 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
350 events in the National Weather Service record, 329 of them since 1996.
4
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
56
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
170
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
0
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
August 17, 2021
2.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
August 17, 2001
92 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
| Dust storms and dust devils | 1 | 0 |
| Debris flows | 1 | 0 |
| Avalanches | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jun 19, 2025Wildfire, Southern Mountains$35.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Forsyth Fire started on Thursday, June 19th, 2025. Initial reports from fire officials state the fire is suspected to have originated as a holdover from lightning in the Pine Valley Mountains. A long stretch of hot, dry, and windy conditions prevailed ahead of the fire's discovery on the 19th. A nearby RAWS station in Pine Valley (TT900) observed Red Flag conditions (wind gusts >25 mph and RH <15%) for about 16 hours from the afternoon of the 19th to the early morning hours on the 20th. A mandatory evacuation order for the Pine Valley community was issued at 9:21 PM on the 19th. Red Flag conditions redeveloped late morning on the 20th, with strong southwest winds eventually…
- Jul 19, 2026Flash Flood$25.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A significant debris flow and flash flood wave was reported by multiple sources, including cameras deployed by emergency management, broadcast media, public, department of transportation, and various other law enforcement agencies. There was widespread flooding through the Grove area of Beaver. Media reports showed multiple homes were impacted by flood waters, including carried rocks and logs, causing significant damage to outbuildings, some of which were destroyed or swept downstream. For a period of time, helicopter rescues from rooftops were required. A diversion dam structure in the canyon was completely removed by the flood waters, and an early warning flood camera mounted…
- Oct 8, 2011Debris Flow, Southern Mountains$12.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A landslide occurred 8 miles east of Cedar City, along Utah State Route 14. The landslide occurred sometime before 5 a.m. on the morning of October 8th, when the slide was discovered and the road was closed by the Utah Department of Transportation. The landslide was 1,700 feet in length, and destroyed an 800 foot section of State Route 14. The dirt on the road was as much as 100 feet deep in some places, and it was estimated that the slide consisted of 1.5 million cubic yards of dirt, rock, and debris. This led to the closing of a 12-mile stretch of State Route 14, which is a widely used road in southern Utah, particularly for tourists trying to get to Cedar Breaks National…
- Jun 17, 2017Wildfire, Southern Mountains$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Brianhead Fire started on June 17, when a man used a weed torch at his Brian Head area cabin, and the fire became out of control. The fire burned 71,675 acres, with most of the growth in the first two weeks of the fire. The Brianhead Fire destroyed 13 homes and 13 minor structures. A priority sage grouse habitat was also impacted east of the fire perimeter in the Panguitch watershed area. Costs associated with the fire were approximately $36.6 million, with rehabilitation efforts projected to cost double or triple that amount. At the height of the fire, approximately 1,831 personnel were fighting to contain the wildfire, and 1,562 people were evacuated from 11 communities in…
- Jul 1, 2017Wildfire, Southern Mountains$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Brianhead Fire started on June 17, when a man used a weed torch at his Brian Head area cabin, and the fire became out of control. The fire burned 71,672 acres, with most of the growth in the first two weeks of the fire. The Brianhead Fire destroyed 13 homes and 13 minor structures. A priority sage grouse habitat was also impacted east of the fire perimeter in the Panguitch watershed area. Costs associated with the fire were approximately $36.6 million, with rehabilitation efforts projected to cost double or triple that amount. At the height of the fire, approximately 1,831 personnel were fighting to contain the wildfire, and 1,562 people were evacuated from 11 communities in…
- Jun 27, 2012Wildfire, Southwest Utah$1.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
The New Harmony Fire started on June 27th near New Harmony, Utah, due to a water pump malfunction on private land. The fire burned 1,957 acres before it was 100% contained on June 30th. 7 residences were destroyed, 22 non-residential buildings were destroyed, and numerous vehicles were heavily damaged. At least 60 power poles were damaged in the fire, and there was one injury, a firefighter who received first and second degree burns. In addition to physical damages, fire suppression costs totaled $421,000.
- Feb 13, 2024Winter Weather, Southwest Utah$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Snow squall. Conditions in the snow squall included flash freeze conditions on I-15 in southern Iron County, visibilities of 1/2 mile or less between approximately 11:40 a.m. and 2 p.m., and snowfall rates of 3 inches per hour.||Multiple crashes, one involving at least 11 vehicles, were reported, with the northbound lanes of I-15 closed for several hours. There were several other crashes throughout the Cedar City area.
- Feb 13, 2023Winter Weather, Southwest Utah$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Snow squall. A snow squall that pushed across Interstate 15 in southwest Utah resulted in an 11-vehicle accident Tuesday. Both northbound lanes of Interstate 15 near milepost 52 were closed. Numerous road closures from snow were reported, including state Route 9 from Zion National Park eastward through the intersection with U.S. Highway 89. The closure was from 4:20 PM Tuesday to 11:01 AM Wednesday. State Route 24 from milepost 15 to milepost 52 was closed Wednesday morning.
- Feb 18, 2026Winter Weather, Southwest Utah$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
Snow Squall. Numerous mesonet sensors across southwest Utah reported snow squall conditions, including heavy snow, wind gusts between 30 to 60 mph, visibility between 0.10 to 0.25 miles, and very low road grips indicative of a flash freeze. Multiple crashes were reported near mile post 54 and resulted in 2 minor injuries. 4 semi trucks were involved in the accident, and one jackknifed.
- Apr 3, 2023Heavy Snow, Southwest Utah$175,000
National Weather Service narrative
COOP observer reports included snowfall accumulation of 10.8 inches in Cedar City.||On the 3rd, at around 3:30 p.m., the Utah Department of Transportation reported the northbound lanes of Intereste 15 were closed at milepost 112, a few miles north of Beaver, due to multiple accidents from inclement weather. One lane reopened at 4:45 p.m., with a full reopen by 6 p.m.
- 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 Fremont Indian Sp, 30.2 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1988.
- All-time high
- 107°F2 times, most recently Jul 20, 1998
- All-time low
- −32°FDec 22, 1990
- Warmest night
- 71°FJul 1, 2001
- Coldest day
- −2°FDec 23, 1990
- Wettest day
- 2.50 inOct 7, 2006
- Snowiest day
- 21.0 inJan 3, 2004
- Hottest year
- 2001mean 49.9°F
- Coldest year
- 2011mean 45.2°F
- Wettest year
- 201118.78 in
- Driest year
- 20205.90 in
- Snowiest season
- 81.1 in2015-16
Median first snow
November 16
Earliest: October 12, 2021
Median last snow
April 17
Latest: May 23, 2008
0 of 31 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Fremont Indian Sp (USC00423012), 5,920 ft elevation, 30.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1988 to October 22, 2026; 94.2% 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
9 since 1953. The most recent: Cottonwood Fire, Flooding, and Mudslides, October 7, 2026.
| Oct 7, 2026 | Flood | DR-4948-UT |
| Jun 23, 2026 | Fire | FM-5640-UT |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | DR-4525-UT |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3478-UT |
| Aug 8, 2011 | Flood | DR-4011-UT |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3223-UT |
| Aug 1, 2005 | Flood | DR-1598-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.
How this compares
Where Beaver County stands among 29 counties in Utah and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 7 | 9 / 29 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 0 | — |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 249,254 | 7 / 29 |
| Flood insurance claims | 3 | 23 / 29 |
| Flood insurance paid | $20,000 | 19 / 29 |
| Disaster declarations | 9 | 12 / 29 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 19 | 19 / 29 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 125 | 10 / 29 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 170 | 19 / 29 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $80.3 million | 5 / 29 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 0 | — |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 175 | 17 / 29 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 8.9 | 26 / 29 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 27 | 16 / 29 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 91 | 10 / 29 |
Neighbouring counties
| Garfield County | 4 | 0 |
| Iron County | 5 | 0 |
| Lincoln County NV | 7 | 0 |
| Millard County | 2 | 0 |
| Piute County | 1 | 0 |
| Sevier County | 2 | 0 |
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 USC00423012.
- 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.
- Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
- 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.