Washington County, Utah severe weather history spans 424 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 64.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,157 nationally and #3 in Utah.
424
Recorded events
26
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$51.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Utah severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Utah severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 144 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 409 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Utah record is flash flood, responsible for 26 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $30.5M 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 Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 275 | 26 | $30.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 82 | 0 | $313K | 84 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $10K | 2 | 1958–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $20.1M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $30 | F1 | 1986–2017 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $420K | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2020–2022 |
Decade by decade
Washington County, Utah severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-07-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-08-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2015 | Flash Flood | GRAFTON | 13 | 3 | $750K |
| Sep 14, 2015 | Flash Flood | ZION LODGE | 7 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 1998 | Flash Flood | ZION NATIONAL PARK | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2022 | Flash Flood | ZION LODGE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 27, 2014 | Flash Flood | ZION NATIONAL PARK | 1 | 0 | $350K |
| Aug 2, 2012 | Flash Flood | PINTURA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 13, 2001 | Flash Flood | ZION NATIONAL PARK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 3, 1997 | Flash Flood | ST GEORGE | 0 | 11 | $5.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall brought flash flooding to Zion National Park, including along North Creek, but the most notable flood occurred in Keyhole Canyon. A group of seven people entered Keyhole Canyon in the early afternoon, planning to travel through the small but popular canyoneering route. Flooding in Keyhole Canyon occurred quickly; no one in the group was able to escape the canyon or get to higher ground, and the flood killed all seven individuals. The seven victims were between 51 and 59 years old.
Flooding was again widespread across Washington County, with floods reported in Enterprise, Ivins, Santa Clara, St. George, and Springdale, among others. Most rivers and washes in the area experienced flooding, with particularly high flows in the Beaver Dam Wash and the Virgin River. Rock and mud slides were common across the area, temporarily closing several highways across the county. Flooding also occurred across much of Zion National Park, with the park closing for a period of time due to flooding and debris on roadways. This flooding included in the popular Narrows section of the park, where two hikers were stranded by the flood waters; one of the hikers escaped to safety, but the other, a 34-year-old male, died in the flood. ||In Enterprise, many roadways flooded, and a few businesses were damaged by flood waters. In Ivins, a few homes near 600 S and 400 W experienced flooding. In St. George, damage was most severe at the Southgate Golf Course, with the majority of holes inundated with water.
Flows increased on the North Fork of the Virgin River in Zion National Park. The trail became impassable near the mouth of The Narrows. Flood waters in The Narrows swept some hikers off their feet and isolated others on higher ground. Two people were swept downstream. One was swept a couple of hundred yards and found. The individual survived with minor injuries. The other was reported as missing to Zion National Park officials later that evening, and was found deceased the following Monday. The North Fork Virgin – Springdale river gauge, which is downstream from The Narrows, rose from approximately 75 cfs to 735 cfs, corresponding to a rise of slightly over 2 feet in height.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
196,431
Population (ACS)
$511K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2025 | Fire | FORSYTH FIRE | FM |
| Jul 13, 2020 | Fire | VEYO WEST FIRE | FM |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 21, 2016 | Fire | SADDLE FIRE | FM |
| Nov 3, 2012 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Zion Lodge 274
- Zion National Park 125
- Springdale 123
- Rockville 118
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Utah?
424 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 26 direct deaths and $51.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Flash Flood, with 275 recorded events — 64.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
4 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 Washington County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 93 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Wasatch County 51
- Wayne County 189
- Utah County 304
- Weber County 169
- Uintah County 109
- Tooele County 821
Cite this page
“Washington County, Utah.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/utah/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.