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Johnson County, Wyoming severe weather history spans 290 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 52.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,832 nationally and #11 in Wyoming.
290
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$2.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Johnson County, Wyoming severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Johnson County, Wyoming severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 110 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 261 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 $2.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Johnson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 152 | 0 | $40K | 3 | 1961–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 61 | 0 | $37K | 70 | 1975–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $26K | F1 | 1971–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Johnson County, Wyoming severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-08-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Johnson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The last in a series of thunderstorms on Wednesday, June 3, brought very heavy rain to Buffalo and the surrounding area. The ASOS at Johnson County Airport measured 0.98 inches of rain in less than 25 minutes as the storm moved north and then stalled over Buffalo. The ASOS recorded a grand total of 1.26 inches in less than one hour. Saturated soils were unable to absorb the rain which quickly ran through the streets of Buffalo and filled area creeks. Five Buffalo homes were declared destroyed, and the senior center and BLM office sustained flood damage. Some reports indicated water four feet deep in low-lying areas. The water was running fast enough to lift and carry the top layer of pavement on a couple of Buffalo streets. A few county roads and some private bridges were washed out due to culvert failures as a result of the raging flood waters.
Heavy rain fell in the tributaries of the Powder River in southern Johnson and northern Natrona counties. The South Fork of the Powder River along with Salt Creek were two of the major contributors to a rapid rise in the water level of the Powder River near Sussex. High water on both the North and Middle forks of the Powder River also served to flood the main stem. The river climbed more than 10 feet in less than 24 hours at Sussex and crested at 15.63 feet around 0500MST on Monday, May 25. This crest topped the previous record crest of 15.16 feet set in May 1978. Agricultural land downstream of Kaycee near Sussex was completely inundated and several ranches and vehicles were surrounded by water.
Heavy rainfall estimated by radar to be 1 to 1.5 inches in less than 30 minutes inundated areas south of Barnum and into northern Natrona County. Blue Creek was flooded as were Poker Creek and some smaller streams feeding the Middle Fork of the Powder River. Several corrals were lost and damage was done to at least one out-building. One observer said it was the worst flooding they had seen in 27 years at their residence. Bar C Gap ran 6 to 7 feet deep and Bar C Ranch Road was covered with mud and debris.||Another hard hit area centered on Willow Creek and nearby drainages along the TTT-Lone Bear Road and West Willow Creek Road. Water was running over the roads in more than one location.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,686
Population (ACS)
$327K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 13, 2024 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Aug 22, 2024 | Fire | HOUSE DRAW FIRE | FM |
| Apr 11, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 7, 2015 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 22, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Buffalo 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Johnson County, Wyoming?
290 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Johnson County?
Hail, with 152 recorded events — 52.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Johnson County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Johnson County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Johnson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Johnson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Johnson County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Johnson 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
- Hot Springs County 129
- Laramie County 1,592
- Goshen County 680
- Lincoln County 105
- Fremont County 452
- Natrona County 400
Cite this page
“Johnson County, Wyoming.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wyoming/johnson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.