Platte County, Wyoming severe weather history spans 564 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 68.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #678 nationally and #5 in Wyoming.
564
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Platte County, Wyoming severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Platte County, Wyoming severe weather history averages 8.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 235 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 505 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $628K 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 Platte County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 384 | 0 | $221K | 4.25 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 87 | 0 | $516K | 70 | 1966–2025 |
| Tornado | 50 | 0 | $628K | F3 | 1955–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $112K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2017 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1997–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2014 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Platte County, Wyoming severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
50 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 48 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-06-27 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 20.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Platte County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $3K | |
| Jun 7, 2012 | Tornado | WHEATLAND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 1987 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm developed over central Platte County of southeastern Wyoming on the evening of the 14th and struck the area near Wheatland. This storm produced a small tornado southwest of Wheatland which moved northeast at struck the southern part of the city. Two garages were leveled, one of which was torn from its foundation and thrown into a heap on the opposite side of the road. A covered porch was also torn from a house and thrown across the street. Several large trees were twisted off at their bases and tossed about. Large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain also accompanied the storm. Hail up to the size of golf balls, which was left standing four to six inches deep after the storm, demolished a car dealership causing $15,000 damage. This storm also produced damaging winds north of Wheatland which sheared off acres of 6 foot corn stalks at the ground and snapped four power poles at their bases. No one was injured in the storm.
A severe thunderstorm developed over central Platte County of southeastern Wyoming on the evening of the 14th and struck the area near Wheatland. This storm produced a small tornado southwest of Wheatland which moved northeast at struck the southern part of the city. Two garages were leveled, one of which was torn from its foundation and thrown into a heap on the opposite side of the road. A covered porch was also torn from a house and thrown across the street. Several large trees were twisted off at their bases and tossed about. Large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain also accompanied the storm. Hail up to the size of golf balls, which was left standing four to six inches deep after the storm, demolished a car dealership causing $15,000 damage. This storm also produced damaging winds north of Wheatland which sheared off acres of 6 foot corn stalks at the ground and snapped four power poles at their bases. No one was injured in the storm.
A severe thunderstorm developed over central Platte County of southeastern Wyoming on the evening of the 14th and struck the area near Wheatland. This storm produced a small tornado southwest of Wheatland which moved northeast at struck the southern part of the city. Two garages were leveled, one of which was torn from its foundation and thrown into a heap on the opposite side of the road. A covered porch was also torn from a house and thrown across the street. Several large trees were twisted off at their bases and tossed about. Large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain also accompanied the storm. Hail up to the size of golf balls, which was left standing four to six inches deep after the storm, demolished a car dealership causing $15,000 damage. This storm also produced damaging winds north of Wheatland which sheared off acres of 6 foot corn stalks at the ground and snapped four power poles at their bases. No one was injured in the storm.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,612
Population (ACS)
$298K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2024 | Fire | PLEASANT VALLEY 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 |
| Jun 29, 2012 | Fire | ARAPAHOE FIRE | FM |
| Jul 22, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wheatland 163
- Chugwater 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Platte County, Wyoming?
564 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Platte County?
Hail, with 384 recorded events — 68.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Platte County?
50 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 48 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Platte County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Platte County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Platte County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Platte County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Platte 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
- Park County 199
- Sheridan County 385
- Niobrara County 303
- Sublette County 95
- Natrona County 400
- Sweetwater County 184
Cite this page
“Platte County, Wyoming.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wyoming/platte-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.