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Lincoln County, Wyoming severe weather history spans 105 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 33.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,867 nationally and #21 in Wyoming.
105
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
31
Direct injuries
$2.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Lincoln County, Wyoming severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lincoln County, Wyoming severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 34 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 93 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 $1.7M 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 Lincoln County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 35 | 0 | $368K | 70 | 1973–2026 |
| Hail | 34 | 0 | $60K | 1.75 | 1983–2025 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $292K | 0 | 2011–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $1.7M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $25K | F1 | 1969–2001 |
| Wildfire | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Lincoln County, Wyoming severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-09-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lincoln County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Afton | 0 | 28 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 1997 | Lightning | ALPINE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain from thunderstorms brought flooding and mudslides in, and to the south of, LaBarge. The flooding damaged 20 homes located mainly in the southwest portion of the town. Much of the flooding was confined to basements of homes and at least one church. High water scoured the channel of Birch Creek at the north end of town and exposed water and sewer pipes.||To the south of town, approximately four separate large channels along with many smaller rivulets flooded US Highway 189 between mileposts 77 and 81. The Wyoming Highway Patrol reported a mudslide near milepost 78 around Muddy Creek at 1651MST. Farther north near Names Hill another small canyon deposited mud and rock across the highway and onto private land. Five homes were damaged in the county, one of which was declared a total loss. Multiple sections of fence line were either washed away or completely buried by debris. Mud and rock plugged culverts along the highway and also buried culvert inlets. This set the stage for additional flooding across US Highway 189 over the course of the next several days.
Active snowmelt in the Salt River Range caused a flood along a normally dry ditch in Star Valley Ranch. The narrow drainage near Prater Canyon brought enough water to wash out part of a road and three culverts. The high water also exposed and damaged a water line in the community.
The Lincoln County emergency management reported flooding in the town of Opal, WY caused by heavy rain from a slow-moving thunderstorm. Rainfall amount is unknown due to not having any know weather stations in the area. Five homes experienced flash flooding, with about 6 inches of water in basements.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,486
Population (ACS)
$373K
Median home value
5
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 22, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 31, 2002 | Fire | WY – COMMISSARY RIDGE FIRE – 08/31/02 | FM |
| Jun 15, 1977 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lincoln County, Wyoming?
105 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lincoln County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 35 recorded events — 33.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lincoln County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lincoln County?
5 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lincoln County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lincoln County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 52 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lincoln County, Wyoming 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
- Laramie County 1,592
- Natrona County 400
- Johnson County 290
- Niobrara County 303
- Hot Springs County 129
- Park County 199
Cite this page
“Lincoln County, Wyoming.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wyoming/lincoln-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.