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Park County, Wyoming severe weather history spans 199 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 37.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,447 nationally and #16 in Wyoming.
199
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$27.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Park County, Wyoming severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Park County, Wyoming severe weather history averages 2.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 52 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 155 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Park County, Wyoming record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $25.2M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Park County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 74 | 0 | $232K | 82 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 65 | 0 | $590K | 2 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $795K | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $25.2M | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $78K | F2 | 1964–2017 |
| Wildfire | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2003 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $80K | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Park County, Wyoming severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-07-21 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 24.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Park County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2010 | Lightning | PITCHFORK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 2000 | Lightning | CODY | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2014 | Lightning | GARLAND | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A developing thunderstorm produced a single bolt of lightning that killed a 70-year-old man during a camping and fishing trip to Upper Sunshine Reservoir southwest of Meeteetse. The man and his son went to shore to avoid the developing storm. The man was struck when he attempted to gain better cell phone reception from a hill. Bystanders and emergency responders performed CPR but to no avail.
Part of the northeastern entrance road to Yellowstone National Park was washed out near the Soda Butte Picnic Area. There were also mudslides and downed trees in the area. Yellowstone National Park press releases estimated preliminary repair costs to be 25 million for the northeast entrance road.
A thunderstorm produced a microburst that caused damage in the Lake Village area of Yellowstone Park, along the north shore of Yellowstone Lake. Several hundred trees were downed by the wind. Some trees landed on vehicles. The Lake Yellowstone Hotel also suffered minor damage from falling trees. Some portions of the Lake Village had no power for two days. Damage estimates based on Yellowstone National Park News Release dated July 5, 2023.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,449
Population (ACS)
$401K
Median home value
4
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 5, 2017 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| May 29, 1978 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING & MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Park County, Wyoming?
199 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $27.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Park County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 74 recorded events — 37.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Park County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Park County?
4 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Park County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Park County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Park County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 58 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Park 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
- Niobrara County 303
- Platte County 564
- Natrona County 400
- Sheridan County 385
- Lincoln County 105
- Sublette County 95
Cite this page
“Park County, Wyoming.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wyoming/park-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.