Hot Springs County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hot Springs County: 0.
2. 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.

Every large fire

1. 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

1. 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.

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

1. 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.

1. 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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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).
2. 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

1. 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

Mapped by WY WSGS (1,021), NASA (7).

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 24, 2015Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain fell in southern Hot Springs County. This triggered numerous mud and rock slides, some tumbling several hundred feet or more to the bottom of the Wind River Canyon. State Highway 789 through the canyon was covered with mud, rock, and debris in several locations between mileposts 120 and 123. One Wyoming Department of Transportation employee was briefly trapped in his front-end loader as he tried to clear away small slides at the onset of the event. The massive amount of debris on the highway resulted in the closure of the road from Sunday afternoon, May 24, until Wednesday morning, May 27. Additional slides on the west side of the Wind River Canyon destroyed…

2. Jul 1, 2019Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A storm developed over the Lee of the Absarokas and quickly became severe as it moved eastward into Hot Springs County. On a long path there were numerous reports of golf ball sized hail, with a maximum size of over two inches in diameter at Hot Springs State Park, just east of Thermopolis, Wyoming. There were numerous reports of damaged siding as well as broken windows on cars and buildings along the hail path.

3. Jul 15, 2026Flash Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous homes were flooded along the Warm Springs Creek with over a foot of water in some homes. Some cars were damaged. Ranches to the east and south of Thermopolis reported fences pulled out of the ground and stretched across the road. C Ave and Carter Ranch Road were flooded with moving water over them during the late evening and into the overnight hours.

4. Jul 2, 2009Flash Flood$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain from a severe thunderstorm produced widespread flash flooding northwest of Thermopolis. Radar estimated 30 to 40 minute rainfall amounts to be from 1.00 to 1.75 inches. The flash flooding was primarily concentrated along state highways 120 and 170 near Owl Creek. Areas hardest hit along highway 120 extended from mile markers five to nine. Six homes were evacuated in this four mile stretch and at least two of the homes were flooded. One resident estimated water depth to be three to six feet, which damaged outbuildings, a well house, and a cistern. Some hay fields were reported to be waist deep in water.

5. Jul 17, 2023Strong Wind, Southwest Big Horn Basin$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A gust front from thunderstorms to the north pushed southward across Thermopolis WY. Around a dozen trees were downed in Thermopolis, including two that were uprooted. Some trees and branches fell and damaged power lines. Winds were estimated to be around 50 mph. One tall structure had a metal roof which was peeled back by the strong winds.

6. Feb 9, 1996High Wind, Southwest Big Horn Basin$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds were observed to the north and west of Cody. At 1215 PM, a roof was blown off a house near Clark and a light pole was blown down. Winds near Clark were estimated between 60 and 70 MPH. In addition, a semi tractor-trailer was blown over between Deaver and Frannie about 220 PM. Winds were estimated at 115 MPH at 300 PM at the Powell airport and caused a plane to flip over. Many roofs in Powell were damaged by the strong winds.

7. Sep 9, 2024Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A brief landspout tornado touched down in downtown Thermopolis, near the intersection of US Hwy 20 and WY Hwy 120. Maximum winds were estimated between 65 to 75 mph as it caused damage to sheet metal roofing and car windows.

8. Jun 4, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage to a barn and several outbuildings from a strong thunderstorm wind gust at a ranch between Thermopolis and Kirby WY. Estimated wind gust of 50 to 60 mph based on damage. Damage estimated to have occurred around 426 PM MDT June 4 2023 based on radar. Nearest surface observation was a personal weather sensor 4 miles away, which showed a gust to 22 mph at the 445 pm reporting time, but storm did not directly affect this sensor location. Sheds, items, and debris were blown east to west generally with no indication of distinct rotation. Outbuildings had openings to the east, making them especially susceptible to easterly wind gusts. Little to no damage to nearby farms or trees,…

9. Feb 1, 1996Cold/Wind Chill, Southwest Big Horn Basin$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low temperatures dropped to between 10 below zero and 45 below zero during this time across the state. On the 1st, strong winds lowered wind chill temperatures to as low as 60 below zero in some locations. Some young livestock were frozen. The cold also froze many pipes and caused some water lines to break or leak. A number of schools and events were cancelled across the state during this time. About 40 residences were without natural gas in the Big Horn Basin on the 3rd due to the cold causing a valve malfunction. Many accidents occurred on the 1st due to poor visibilities. One person froze to death just north of Buffalo early on the 2nd after walking for help after his car broke down.

10. Jun 16, 2015Hail$20,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Two inch diameter hail fell in the Wind River Canyon knocking out windows in vehicles traveling State Highway 789.

1. 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.

All-time high

109°FJul 12, 2026

All-time low

−44°FJan 16, 1930

Warmest night

77°FAug 18, 2023

Coldest day

−17°FJan 28, 1916

Wettest day

4.94 inSep 30, 1923

Snowiest day

18.0 inApr 6, 1922

Hottest year

1999mean 51.4°F

Coldest year

1916mean 43.0°F

Wettest year

194118.06 in

Driest year

20124.05 in

Snowiest season

79.0 in1997-98

Station Thermopolis (USC00488875), 4,321 ft elevation, 1.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1899 to October 22, 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00488875.
• 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.