Emery County, Utah severe weather history spans 107 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 44.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,862 nationally and #16 in Utah.
107
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Emery County, Utah severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Emery County, Utah severe weather history averages 1.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 44 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 98 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Emery County, Utah record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $1.3M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Emery County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 48 | 3 | $1.3M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Hail | 19 | 0 | $4K | 2 | 1961–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 16 | 0 | $33K | 65 | 1978–2025 |
| Debris Flow | 9 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2013–2022 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $28K | F2 | 1961–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 1997–2013 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Emery County, Utah severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-11-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-06-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-07-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-07-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Emery County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2020 | Flash Flood | MOORE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 2021 | Flash Flood | MOHRLAND | 1 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Jul 11, 2011 | Lightning | CLEVELAND | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 2025 | Flash Flood | GREEN RIVER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREEN RIVER | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A significant flood wave carrying debris moved down Bear Creek Canyon, sweeping away mining vehicles at the Gentry Mountain Mine. Several miners were caught in the flood waters, with one miner able to save himself by clinging to a tree a quarter mile down the drainage. Another miner was not able to escape the flood waters and was found deceased 6 miles downstream. Another Mine car was flipped 8 times in the flood waters, but the miners were able to kick out the windows and escape. Significant infrastructure damage occurred at the Mine.
A 56-year-old man was with his family near the Wedge Overlook in the San Rafael Desert when he was struck by lightning. CPR was performed by family members and emergency personnel who responded to the scene, but he was unable to be revived and died at the scene.
Significant flooding impacted Emery County over two days, particularly on the west side of the county. Road damage and high water levels caused multiple highways to close down. State Route 10 closed from Castle Dale to Emery, with many boulders moving onto the road, some as large as cars. State Route 29 closed from mile post 0 to 12, or approximately Orangeville to Joe's Valley Reservoir. State Route 31 was closed multiple times through the event, in part due to multiple debris flows coming off of the Seeley Fire burn scar. In addition to the major routes listed here, many more local roads were closed due to flood waters, including Cottonwood Canyon. Monetary damages to roads were estimated to be approximately $150,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,046
Population (ACS)
$219K
Median home value
6
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 8, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Apr 30, 1983 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, LANDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 20, 1977 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mohrland 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Emery County, Utah?
107 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $1.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Emery County?
Flash Flood, with 48 recorded events — 44.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Emery County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Emery County?
6 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Emery County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Emery County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Emery County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Emery County, Utah severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Duchesne County 97
- Garfield County 188
- Davis County 181
- Grand County 236
- Daggett County 44
- Iron County 111
Cite this page
“Emery County, Utah.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/utah/emery-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.