Rich County, Utah severe weather history spans 29 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,118 nationally and #27 in Utah.
29
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$365K
Property damage
The record
What the Rich County, Utah severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rich County, Utah severe weather history averages 0.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 10 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 26 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $280K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Rich County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 19 | 0 | $7K | 66 | 1994–2025 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $28K | F1 | 1954–1965 |
| Hail | 2 | 0 | $0 | 1.25 | 1987–2002 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $280K | 0 | 2017–2021 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1998 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2021–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Rich County, Utah severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain and snowmelt overwhelmed drainage systems in portions of Rich County. A 10 to 15 foot section of a canal was breached near Garden City, leading to flooding in several homes. Eleven homes were also flooded in Laketown, and water flowed over multiple area roadways, including State Route 16 between Randolph and Woodruff.
A maximum wind gust of 45 mph was recorded at the Bear Lake sensor. Wind damage was reported near Bear Lake and in Garden City, including large tree limbs that were damaged and roof shingles that were blown off of a house.
The SR-16 @ MP1 mesonet station recorded an initial peak wind gust of 66 mph at 6:40 pm MST. After a brief period of slightly sub-severe wind gusts, a gust of 61 mph was recorded at 7:10 pm MST followed by a final severe wind gust of 58 mph at 7:20 pm MST. These gusts were the result of outflow winds associated with a nearby cluster of showers and thunderstorms moving through the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,631
Population (ACS)
$335K
Median home value
5
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Apr 30, 1983 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, LANDSLIDES & FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 20, 1977 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rich County, Utah?
29 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $365K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rich County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 19 recorded events — 65.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rich County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rich County?
5 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rich County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rich County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rich County as very low risk, placing it in the 1 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rich 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
- Piute County 18
- Salt Lake County 507
- Morgan County 23
- San Juan County 217
- Millard County 75
- Sanpete County 43
Cite this page
“Rich County, Utah.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/utah/rich-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.