Iron County, Utah severe weather history spans 111 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 46.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,849 nationally and #14 in Utah.
111
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$14.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Iron County, Utah severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Iron County, Utah severe weather history averages 1.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 40 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 97 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 $14.8M 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 Iron County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 52 | 0 | $14.8M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 27 | 0 | $0 | 65 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $90K | 1.75 | 1970–2023 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $30 | F1 | 1953–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Iron County, Utah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-07-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Iron County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2021 | Flash Flood | LUND | 0 | 3 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread flash flooding occurred in Enoch and Cedar City, with up to 300 homes damaged by flood waters. Water rescues were performed, and cars were swept off the road. Interstate 15 was closed during the event. Numerous roads were eroded by floodwaters, and Fiddlers Canyon was reported underwater.
Major flash flooding occurred in the cities of Enoch and Cedar City on the afternoon of August 17th. Enoch had the most significant damage, with 110 houses damaged by flood waters, while Cedar City mostly experienced street flooding. About 30 of those 110 houses experienced major damage, typically over $30,000 per house, while the rest had more minor damage. Flood waters and some sewage poured into many basements, as well as some ground level floors. The water broke windows and destroyed carpets, walls, and personal belongings in many of the homes.
Flash flooding near Lund derailed a Union Pacific Railroad train, forcing 14 cars off of the tracks. Train tracks were determined to be washed out at a small bridge crossing over a normally dry wash. After the train derailed, injured train operators were trapped on top of the overturned train as flood waters continued to rise. In addition, emergency responders were washed off of the road to the crash site by the flood waters, delaying response to the injured train operators.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
62,252
Population (ACS)
$379K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 23, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 18, 2017 | Fire | BRIAN HEAD FIRE | FM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Aug 1, 2005 | Flood | FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Iron County, Utah?
111 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $14.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Iron County?
Flash Flood, with 52 recorded events — 46.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Iron 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 Iron County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Iron County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Iron County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Iron County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Iron 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
- Grand County 236
- Juab County 57
- Garfield County 188
- Kane County 254
- Emery County 107
- Millard County 75
Cite this page
“Iron County, Utah.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/utah/iron-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.