Wasatch County
Population 38,514 (2025) 1,177 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 86,377 acres of Wasatch County since 1984, 12th most of 29 counties in Utah; the largest was the Dollar Ridge Fire in 2018.
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 19501
- Wildfire burn scars since 19848
At a glance
The record for Wasatch County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Tornadoes
About one every 76 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
May 28, 2018
EF0, 0.3 mile path
5 yards wide.
Most recent
Monday, May 28, 2018
EF0, 0.3 mile path
8 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| May 28, 2018 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Wasatch 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
86,377 acres burned in 8 large fires since 1984, equal to 11% of the land.
Largest
July 1, 2018
Dollar Ridge Fire, 69,762 acres
41,989 acres inside Wasatch County.
Most recent
September 28, 2024
Yellow Lake Fire
35,439 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Yellow Lake | 2024 | 30,604 | 35,439 |
| Murdock | 2018 | 93 | 5,160 |
| Dollar Ridge | 2018 | 41,989 | 69,762 |
| Tank Hollow | 2017 | 56 | 10,994 |
| Cascade Ii | 2003 | 7,942 | 7,936 |
| South Hollow | 2001 | 2,312 | 2,308 |
| Wasatch Complex (East Vivian) | 2000 | 211 | 1,777 |
| Wasatch Mountain | 1990 | 3,165 | 3,161 |
- 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: 50 days
Heavy smoke on 26 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
13.8 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
12 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 17 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 1983, with $40,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 84032 | 5 | $10,000 |
| 84049 | 5 | $29,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood2
- Flood2
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
Most severe crest
May 1, 1984
Jordan River near 5th North, 8.20 ft
0.60 feet above the 7.6 ft flood stage; minor flooding by today’s categories.
| May 1, 1984 | Jordan River near 5th North | 8.20 | +0.60 |
River gauges
| Jordan River near 5th North | 7.6 | 8.20 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 140 of 1,581 months since 1895 (9%); the longest spell lasted 17 months.
140
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
48
Months in extreme drought
9%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
April 1977
−6.49, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
17 months
November 1933 to March 1935.
Latest month
September 2026
−2.33, moderate drought
Last severe month: July 2026.
- 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 5.7 in 2020.
30
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
167
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
26
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
7
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
March 18, 2020
5 km NNE of Magna, Utah; 28.1 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; 24.9 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Jan 22, 2026 | 4.7 | 15.8 |
| Apr 16, 2020 | 4.2 | 26.9 |
| Apr 14, 2020 | 4.2 | 26.6 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 4.6 | 27.2 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 4.6 | 28.0 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 4.2 | 28.7 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 4.0 | 28.1 |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 5.7 | 28.1 |
| May 25, 2016 | 4.0 | 18.5 |
| Jun 28, 2014 | 4.2 | 36.8 |
| Mar 6, 2000 | 4.2 | 10.4 |
| Mar 16, 1992 | 4.2 | 22.3 |
| May 24, 1980 | 5.0 | 36.5 |
| Oct 11, 1977 | 4.8 | 25.4 |
| Sep 30, 1977 | 5.0 | 26.9 |
| Oct 1, 1972 | 4.7 | Inside |
| Jul 7, 1963 | 5.0 | 41.0 |
| Sep 5, 1962 | 5.0 | 27.8 |
| Jan 17, 1950 | 5.3 | 24.6 |
| Feb 4, 1916 | 4.0 | 24.1 |
| Jul 15, 1915 | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| May 13, 1914 | 4.8 | 46.1 |
| Apr 8, 1914 | 4.0 | 32.3 |
| May 22, 1910 | 5.3 | 13.7 |
| May 24, 1906 | 4.0 | 46.0 |
| Aug 1, 1900 | 4.4 | 38.1 |
- 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 | 99.2 | 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
1,202
Landslides mapped, probable or better
2
With a recorded date
3
Source inventories
Mapped by UT GRC (1,195), USGS Conterminous (5), 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
678 events in the National Weather Service record, 670 of them since 1996.
8
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
33
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
536
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
0
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
September 3, 1983
1.50 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
July 3, 2023
90 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 2 | 1 |
| Avalanches | 48 | 39 |
Costliest events since 1996
- 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.
- 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.
- Jul 1, 2012Wildfire, Wasatch Mountains South Of I-80$9.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Wood Hollow Fire began on June 23rd near Fountain Green, Utah in Sanpete County. The fire was ignited when gusty winds caused a power line to come too close to the top of another power pole, sparking a grass fire at its base. The electrical ground wires had been removed by copper thieves, which eliminated the system's ability to properly dissipate the electrical current. This fire caused one fatality, a 60-year-old male whose body was found inside a burned car. Two firefighters also sustained minor injuries. In total, the Wood Hollow Fire burned 47,387 acres, and caused extensive property damage. The communities of Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge, Big Hollow, and Oaker Hills all…
- Apr 1, 2023Heavy Snow, Wasatch Back$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A snowfall accumulation of 15.3 inches with 0.83 inches of snow water equivalent was observed at Wanship. Other snowfall observations include 12.8 inches with 0.76 inches of snow water equivalent at Oakley and 12.5 inches with 0.92 inches of snow water equivalent at Eden-Liberty. Three structural collapses occurred on April 3 in Park City. The first involved a garage, the second was a chimney, and the third was related to the home.
- Feb 6, 2024Heavy Snow, Wasatch Mountains South Of I-80$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A snowfall accumulation of 52 inches was measured at the Alta - Collins site. Other snowfall accumulations include 45 inches at the Brighton-Crest site, 39 inches at Park City Mountain, and 34 inches at Snowbird.||Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed for portions of time on February 7 for avalanche mitigation. ||Over 75 crashes were reported through the event.
- 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.
- Jan 25, 1997Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains South Of I80$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
A strong winter storm hit Utah during this time. Winds of 50-70 mph were common in the mountains. Hidden peak at the Snowbird ski resort measured a wind gust of 100 mph. Heavy snowfall generally left the mountains with 1-2 feet. 2-5 inches were common in the northern valleys. The Sundance ski resort measured the most snowfall from this storm with 42 inches. Several avalanches occurred during this storm. One in Provo canyon claimed the life of a 27 year old male ice climber. Two vacation houses were damaged in other avalanches. Numerous traffic accidents occurred with at least 20 know injuries.
- Feb 16, 2026Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains South Of I-80$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
A powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and strong winds to the area. Reported snow observations include 47 inches of snow at Alta - Collins (4.7 inches water), 36 inches of snow at Brighton Crest (3.7 inches water), 32 inches of snow at Solitude (3.3 inches water), and 28 inches of snow at Park City Mountain (2.7 inches of water). Additionally, SNOTEL stations including Thaynes Canyon and Mill-D North recorded from 2.2 to 2.4 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 31 to 34 inches of snow. Some peak wind gust observations through the event include 103 mph at Arrowhead Summit, 96 mph at Hidden Peak, and 84 mph at Alta - Mt Baldy. A prolonged period of…
- 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…
- 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 Deer Creek Dam, 9.6 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1939.
- All-time high
- 100°F4 times, most recently Jul 14, 2002
- All-time low
- −39°FFeb 7, 1989
- Warmest night
- 71°FAug 25, 1953
- Coldest day
- −10°FDec 22, 1990
- Wettest day
- 5.08 inFeb 1, 1963
- Snowiest day
- 28.0 inFeb 15, 1944
- Hottest year
- 2025mean 48.2°F
- Coldest year
- 1984mean 41.2°F
- Wettest year
- 198235.95 in
- Driest year
- 20209.39 in
- Snowiest season
- 230.6 in1951-52
Median first snow
November 13
Earliest: October 5, 1995
Median last snow
March 31
Latest: May 16, 1952
0 of 54 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Deer Creek Dam (USC00422057), 5,270 ft elevation, 9.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1939 to October 21, 2026; 97.4% 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: 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 |
| Jul 2, 2018 | Fire | FM-5248-UT |
| Aug 8, 2011 | Flood | DR-4011-UT |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | EM-3223-UT |
| Aug 1, 2005 | Flood | DR-1598-UT |
| Mar 13, 1986 | Flood | DR-760-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 Wasatch County stands among 29 counties in Utah and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 1 | 24 / 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 | 86,377 | 12 / 29 |
| Flood insurance claims | 12 | 13 / 29 |
| Flood insurance paid | $40,000 | 17 / 29 |
| Disaster declarations | 11 | 4 / 29 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 4 | 27 / 29 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 111 | 13 / 29 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 536 | 3 / 29 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $63.5 million | 8 / 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 | 140 | 28 / 29 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 13.8 | 10 / 29 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 26 | 17 / 29 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 30 | 18 / 29 |
Neighbouring counties
| Duchesne County | 5 | 0 |
| Salt Lake County | 13 | 0 |
| Summit County | 0 | 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 USC00422057.
- 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.