Wayne County, Utah severe weather history spans 189 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 82.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,505 nationally and #9 in Utah.
189
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$12.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Utah severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Utah severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 76 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 180 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $11.6M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 156 | 0 | $11.6M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Hail | 12 | 0 | $40K | 2 | 1983–2022 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $50K | F1 | 1969–2010 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $300K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 4 | 0 | $0 | 56 | 1965–1996 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $400 | 0 | 1998–2021 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Utah severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-09-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4, 1997 | Flash Flood | FRUITA | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
HWY 24 undercut and one lane washed out. Flooding in Grand Wash. Bus with 29 passengers washed off road…no injuries reported. A mobile home was washed into a flooded creek. 2.78 of rain reported at Capitol Reef NP. Damage estimate collected from media reports. Official estimate not available.
A significant flash flood occurred in the town of Hanksville, with nearly every structure in town impacted by flooding. Floodwaters were reportedly as deep as 6 feet in places. Rainfall totals were 1.2 inches in Hanksville, and were as high as 1.7 inches in the Henry Mountains. In Capitol Reef National Park, 1.66 inches fell.
Significant long duration rainfall caused widespread flooding across Wayne County. State Route 24 was closed in several locations over the two day period, including between Caineville and Hanksville, as well as near Capitol Reef National Park, where the road was eroded due to the overflowing Fremont River. In addition, State Route 95 was damaged by flood waters and closed near Hanksville. Damage also occurred at Fish Creek Cove, where the road was cut off; this left about a dozen homes inaccessible, some of which were primary residences.||In Capitol Reef National Park, all of the streams and slot canyons were running high; the Scenic Drive was closed for an extended period of time, and many roads around the park sustained damage. Aside from roads, the most significant damage in Wayne County was at a diversion dam near Hanksville on the Fremont River, which will have to be completely rebuilt.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,584
Population (ACS)
$412K
Median home value
4
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 |
| Jan 20, 1977 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Fruita 286
- Notom 183
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Utah?
189 events are on record between 1965 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $12.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Flash Flood, with 156 recorded events — 82.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
4 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as very low risk, placing it in the 2 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 424
- Weber County 169
- Wasatch County 51
- Utah County 304
- Uintah County 109
- Tooele County 821
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Utah.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/utah/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.