Sanpete County
Population 31,453 (2025) 1,590 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 73,369 acres of Sanpete County since 1984, 14th most of 29 counties in Utah; the largest was the Wood Hollow Fire in 2012.
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 19509
- Wildfire burn scars since 198413
At a glance
The record for Sanpete County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Acres burned since 1984
73,369
14th of 29 in Utah
13 large fires; the largest was Wood Hollow, 2012
DetailsStrongest tornado
F2
September 8, 2002, 2.7 mile path
Tornadoes
About one every 8.4 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
September 8, 2002
F2, 2.7 mile path
270 yards wide.
Most recent
Saturday, June 25, 2005
F0, 0.5 mile path
21 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 25, 2005 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 12, 2002 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 8, 2002 | F2 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 8, 2002 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 8, 2001 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 15, 1984 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 28, 1964 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 16, 1955 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 16, 1955 | F2 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Sanpete 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
73,369 acres burned in 13 large fires since 1984, equal to 7.2% of the land.
Largest
June 23, 2012
Wood Hollow Fire, 46,734 acres
42,837 acres inside Sanpete County.
Most recent
September 19, 2023
Box Fire
1,919 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Box | 2023 | 29 | 1,919 |
| Hollow | 2020 | 1,058 | 1,519 |
| Pole Creek | 2018 | 96 | 102,350 |
| Hill Top | 2018 | 1,783 | 1,783 |
| Fly Canyon | 2016 | 133 | 2,670 |
| Porcupine | 2016 | 2,123 | 2,490 |
| Wood Hollow | 2012 | 42,837 | 46,734 |
| French Creek Wfu | 2007 | 1,549 | 3,212 |
| Lowrys | 2007 | 1,503 | 2,785 |
| Salt Creek | 2007 | 11,806 | 26,908 |
| Jungle | 2007 | 4,922 | 4,921 |
| Six Mile | 2004 | 4,099 | 4,097 |
| Mt. Baldy | 1987 | 1,426 | 1,425 |
- 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: 41 days
Heavy smoke on 20 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
12.2 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
17 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 25 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
12 federal flood insurance claims since 1979, with $41,000 paid.
Most claims in one year
1983: 5 claims
$38,000 paid.
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood11
- Flood3
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 144 of 1,581 months since 1895 (9%); the longest spell lasted 17 months.
144
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
73
Months in extreme drought
9%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
April 1977
−7.04, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
17 months
October 1958 to February 1960.
Latest month
September 2026
−5.23, 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
26 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 6.6 in 1901.
107
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
225
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
26
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
7
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
April 22, 2026
Magnitude 3.2
8 km SSW of Kanosh, Utah; 33.0 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Apr 13, 2019 | 4.1 | 44.6 |
| Feb 20, 2019 | 4.0 | 33.6 |
| Jun 28, 2014 | 4.2 | Inside |
| Apr 16, 2003 | 4.2 | 8.0 |
| Jul 19, 2001 | 4.2 | 24.1 |
| Mar 6, 2000 | 4.2 | 21.7 |
| Jun 24, 1992 | 4.3 | 21.8 |
| Mar 16, 1992 | 4.2 | 49.3 |
| Feb 27, 1989 | 4.1 | 21.8 |
| Jan 29, 1989 | 5.2 | 22.2 |
| Aug 18, 1988 | 4.3 | 23.5 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | 5.2 | 23.6 |
| Mar 24, 1986 | 4.3 | Inside |
| May 24, 1980 | 5.0 | 19.2 |
| Jul 16, 1973 | 4.2 | Inside |
| Oct 1, 1972 | 4.7 | 48.5 |
| Jan 3, 1972 | 4.6 | 28.6 |
| Oct 4, 1967 | 5.0 | 37.4 |
| Jul 7, 1963 | 5.0 | 8.2 |
| Sep 29, 1921 | 5.2 | 24.3 |
| Feb 4, 1916 | 4.0 | 13.3 |
| Jul 15, 1915 | 4.3 | 40.6 |
| Jan 11, 1910 | 4.8 | 26.1 |
| Jan 10, 1910 | 4.8 | 26.1 |
| Nov 13, 1901 | 6.6 | 43.0 |
| Aug 1, 1900 | 4.4 | 27.5 |
- 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 | 26.6 | Moderate |
- 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
4,486
Landslides mapped, probable or better
2
With a recorded date
3
Source inventories
Mapped by UT GRC (3,899), USGS Conterminous (585), 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
296 events in the National Weather Service record, 287 of them since 1996.
3
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
14
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
215
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
0
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
July 21, 1987
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
July 18, 2015
72 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
| Debris flows | 2 | 0 |
| Avalanches | 6 | 5 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jul 1, 2018Wildfire, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs$25.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Dollar Ridge Fire was a human caused wildfire that began during the afternoon of July 1. The fire burned 68,869 acres and destroyed 363 structures, including 74 homes. Costs to fight the fire were approximately $18 million. At the height of the fire, approximately 1,100 people were evacuated from communities in Wasatch and Duchesne Counties. Note that this event continued into August.
- Aug 1, 2018Wildfire, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs$25.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Dollar Ridge Fire was a human caused wildfire that began during the afternoon of July 1. The fire burned 68,869 acres and destroyed 363 structures, including 74 homes. Costs to fight the fire were approximately $18 million, though rehabilitation efforts were projected to add significantly to the cost. At the height of the fire, approximately 1,100 people were evacuated from communities in Wasatch and Duchesne Counties. The fire was considered effectively contained on August 31, at 94% containment. Note that this event began in July.
- Sep 8, 2002Tornado$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
An F2 tornado began one mile south-southwest of Manti and moved northeast through Southeast Manti. The first mile of the tornado path was across open land, however the tornado produced some remarkable damage at the start. A 10X12 foot pioneer building was lifted, rotated 90 degrees, and moved 8 feet before being dropped back to the ground. At the south end of Manti, the tornado struck the Anderson Lumber business and did substantial damage. A 40 foot semi-trailer, loaded with insulation, was lifted and thrown onto it's side approximately 35 to 40 feet away. A large amount of debris, along with a 10X10 foot wooden shed, was thrown across Highway 89 and over the hill some 200 to 300…
- Jul 22, 1998Flash Flood$900,000
National Weather Service narrative
A flash flood moved down Canal Creek Canyon just south of Spring City. Several roads were damaged and 4 bridges were washed out. Crops were ruined in the area as well.
- Jul 1, 2012Wildfire, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs$900,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Church Camp Fire began on June 24th, approximately 22 miles south of Duchesne, Utah. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it was believed to be human-caused. The fire caused the evacuation of Argyle Canyon, a popular summer cabin and recreation area. A total of 7,211 acres were burned before the fire was 100% contained on July 7th. Three injuries to firefighters were reported, with one back injury and two heat-related injuries. The fire destroyed 15 cabins and 78 other non-residential buildings. In addition to the property damage, fire suppression costs totaled $12.2 million. Note that this event began in June, and monetary property damage listed here is for the entire event.
- Apr 14, 2015Wildfire, Central Mountains$350,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Quakie Haven Fire began near Fish Lake on the afternoon of April 14, and grew quickly due to strong winds. The fire destroyed two summer cabins and damaged several outbuildings and other structures in the Sleepy Hollow area, but fire crews were able to keep the blaze away from other cabins in the area. The fire also forced the temporary closure of portions of State Route 25. Suppression efforts continued for more than a week after the blaze was ignited, but the fire was effectively under control and was no longer threatening structures beginning on the evening of the 14th of April.
- Jul 1, 2012Wildfire, Central Mountains$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Clay Springs Fire began on July 27th east of Delta, Utah, and was human-caused. Clay Springs was the largest fire of the year in the state of Utah, burning a total of 107,846 acres before it was 100% contained on July 21st. The fire forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people, including the entire communities of Oak City and Fool Creek. Damages from the fire included one cabin that was destroyed, minor damage to a few other residences, 3 city storage structures destroyed, and dozens of power poles damaged. Two firefighters were injured by the blaze. In addition to physical damages, fire suppression cost a total of $6.6 million. Note that this event began in June, and monetary…
- Mar 20, 2000High Wind, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
Strong downslope winds developed overnight across Weber County. Wind gusts estimated at 115mph (100kts) tore the roofs off of 3 condominiums in South Ogden. Major damage was also caused to the interiors of these condos, along with some toppled garage doors, a toppled brick wall, and a damaged fence nearby. Miraculously, nobody was seriously injured. Damage estimates to the area was just over 1 million dollars. These same downslope winds also caused an estimated 70 thousand dollars damage to the roof of Wasatch Hall on the campus of Weber State University, and several thousand dollars in damage due to scattered losses of fences, shingles and trees in the Ogden area. These same…
- Jul 24, 1998Flash Flood$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
More flooding occurred just south of Spring City as monsoon thunderstorm rains continued in Utah. Both Canal Canyon Creek and Oak Creek experienced flash flooding. Several families had to be evacuated and their homes were flooded. Extensive basement flooding also occurred in the Jeremy Ranch area as over 1.5" of rain fell in an hours time. Several mudslides also were reported in the canyons of Utah county.
- Oct 29, 2024Winter Weather, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs$150,000
National Weather Service narrative
A pickup truck collided head-on with a semitrailer after the driver of the pickup truck lost control on state Route 96. Archived liquid precipitation measurements suggest around 0.2-0.5 had fallen in the area by that point, with National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center data indicating a snow depth of 2-4 inches at the time of the crash.
- 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 Salina 24 E, 34.1 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1986.
- All-time high
- 94°F2 times, most recently Jul 17, 2023
- All-time low
- −19°FFeb 6, 1989
- Warmest night
- 71°FJul 17, 2023
- Coldest day
- −5°FDec 23, 1990
- Wettest day
- 2.46 inMar 2, 2015
- Snowiest day
- 16.0 inApr 21, 2004
- Hottest year
- 2025mean 46.3°F
- Coldest year
- 1991mean 40.9°F
- Wettest year
- 202337.64 in
- Driest year
- 20256.32 in
- Snowiest season
- 119.2 in2022-23
Median first snow
November 2
Earliest: September 26, 1986
Median last snow
April 26
Latest: June 5, 1999
0 of 30 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Salina 24 E (USC00427559), 7,560 ft elevation, 34.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1986 to September 30, 2026; 93.7% 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
10 since 1953. The most recent: Flooding, December 23, 2023.
| Dec 23, 2023 | Flood | DR-4752-UT |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | DR-4525-UT |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3478-UT |
| Aug 6, 2018 | Fire | FM-5267-UT |
| Jun 24, 2012 | Fire | FM-2986-UT |
| Aug 8, 2011 | Flood | DR-4011-UT |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3223-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.
How this compares
Where Sanpete County stands among 29 counties in Utah and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 9 | 5 / 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 | 73,369 | 14 / 29 |
| Flood insurance claims | 12 | 13 / 29 |
| Flood insurance paid | $41,000 | 16 / 29 |
| Disaster declarations | 10 | 9 / 29 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 14 | 21 / 29 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 39 | 26 / 29 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 215 | 16 / 29 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $55.7 million | 11 / 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 | 144 | 27 / 29 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 12.2 | 19 / 29 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 26 | 17 / 29 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 107 | 7 / 29 |
Neighbouring counties
| Carbon County | 2 | 0 |
| Emery County | 7 | 0 |
| Juab County | 1 | 0 |
| Millard County | 2 | 0 |
| Sevier County | 2 | 0 |
| Utah County | 10 | 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 USC00427559.
- 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.