Box Elder County, Utah
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 49003 · population 57,579 · 5,781 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 931 records for Box Elder County, Utah from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 690 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (302 records). 621 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the February 3, 2002 dense fog, filed for the forecast zone C W Box Elder/C W Xe Toole/X W Salt Lake/X Nw Utah, which covers the county: 3 deaths, 3 injuries and $820,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 9 declarations naming the county since 1977, 7 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storms and Flooding” on April 21, 2017.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 931on 690 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 22264 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $174Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 10strongest EF0
- FEMA declarations
- 9latest 2020
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Box Elder County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 302 since 1996. 47% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The rank column places the county among Utah's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 302 | 243 | 1996-2026 | 6 | 170 | $3.9M | 27 of 29 |
| High wind and dust storms | 297 | 251 | 1996-2026 | 8 | 67 | $158M | 11 of 29 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 254 | 160 | 1958-2026 | 0 | 1 | $211K | 7 of 29 |
| Hail | 32 | 27 | 1958-2026 | 0 | 0 | $161K | 16 of 29 |
| Tornadoes | 10 | 9 | 1962-2018 | 0 | 0 | $35K | 13 of 29 |
| Floods | 8 | 6 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 8 | $9.1M | 29 of 29 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 7 | 7 | 2000-2025 | 3 | 1 | $105K | 26 of 29 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 7 | 7 | 1997-2022 | 4 | 15 | $884K | 12 of 29 |
| Wildfires | 5 | 5 | 2013-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | 26 of 29 |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 3 | 1998-2023 | 0 | 0 | $51K | 23 of 29 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2021-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 of 29 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 1999-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 of 29 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2024-2024 | 1 | 2 | – | 21 of 29 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Box Elder County had?
NOAA records 10 tornadoes in Box Elder County from 1962 to 2018, the strongest rated EF0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 13th of 29 Utah counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 10 tornadoes whose track touched Box Elder County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 10, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Utah.
Every tornado record filed for Box Elder County (10)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-05-28 | Snowville, Box Elder County | EF0 0.1 mi x 5 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-05-03 | Willard, Box Elder County | EF0 1 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | $34K |
| 2007-07-25 | Plymouth, Box Elder County | EF0 0.25 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-09-10 | Box Elder County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1987-08-25 | Box Elder County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1984-08-16 | Box Elder County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1984-08-16 | Box Elder County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1970-06-05 | Box Elder County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1968-08-14 | Box Elder County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1962-07-09 | Box Elder County | 0 | 0 | – |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Box Elder County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 16, 2026 winter storm ($500,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
A powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and strong winds to the area. Reported snow observations include 27 inches of snow in the Logan Mountains (3.1 inches water), 23 inches of snow at Powder Mountain (2.5 inches water), and 18 inches of snow at Snowbasin - Base (1.9 inches of water). Additionally, several SNOTEL stations including Lightning Ridge, Ben Lomond Peak, and Monte Cristo recorded from 1.6 to 2.7 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 21 to 37 inches of snow. Some peak wind gust observations through the event include 97 mph at Snowbasin - Straw Top, 78 mph at Snowbasin - Strawberry Tower 15, and 76 mph at Ogden Peak. Inclement conditions also resulted in widespread winter driving conditions along higher elevation routes. …
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1306209)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | HailPlymouth, Box Elder County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | HailFielding, Box Elder County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | HailRiverside, Box Elder County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | WildfireBox Elder County and 3 more · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindLakeside, Box Elder County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindPromontory Pt Airport, Box Elder County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindGrouse Creek, Box Elder County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindWillard, Box Elder County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindLakeside, Box Elder County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-29 | Thunderstorm WindBrigham City Ar, Box Elder County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | High WindBox Elder County and 3 more · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindSnowville, Box Elder County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-02-03 | Dense FogBox Elder County and Tooele County · forecast zone C W Box Elder/C W Xe Toole/X W Salt Lake/X Nw Utah Dense fog caused an 11-vehicle pileup on Interstate 80 between Tooele and Grantsville. There were 3 fatalities and several injuries in an accident that involved 8 semi tractor trailers, 2 passenger cars and a pickup truck. A semi slammed into the rear of another semi that had pulled off the freeway in the dense fog. ... | 3 | 3 | $820K | |
| 2015-04-14 | High WindBox Elder County and Tooele County · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains The winds were strongest across Utah's northwest desert, with maximum wind gusts of 82 mph at both Lakeside Mountain and English Village, 81 mph at the Interstate 80 at Milepost 1 sensor, 75 mph at Badger Island, 74 mph at Upper Cedar Mountain, 72 mph at the Wendover Point of Entry, and many observations in the 55-70 ... | 71 kt wind | 1 | 25 | $187K |
| 2005-03-24 | Winter StormBox Elder County and Tooele County · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains/Wendover/Snowville Fatal Auto accidents with other injuries. | 1 | 7 | – | |
| 2024-08-17 | LightningCorinne, Box Elder County A lightning strike capsized a fishing boat with three passengers on board, throwing the passengers into the river, leading to one fatality and two injuries. First responders were called just after midnight local time. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2025-06-11 | Strong WindBox Elder County · forecast zone Eastern Box Elder County Perry Police Department was called to Perry Park just before 5 PM Wednesday, June 11 for reports of traumatic injuries due to a large tree branch falling on two individuals. One individual, an 80-year old woman, died on the scene. The other individual, a 28-year old woman, was transported to the hospital in serious ... | 39 kt wind | 1 | 1 | – |
| 2024-11-27 | Winter WeatherBox Elder County · forecast zone Eastern Box Elder County At approximately 10:02 pm, a Toyota Prius travelling southbound on I-15 lost control and hit a concrete barrier near milepost 354, eventually coming to rest facing sideways on the interstates shoulder. A male passenger exited the car, while the female passenger remained and opened her door. A second vehicle, a Ford ... | 1 | 1 | $47K | |
| 2013-11-21 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front Downslope winds were strongest in the northern Wasatch Front, with a peak recorded wind gust of 85 mph at a UDOT shed in Centerville. Other sensors in Centerville and Farmington also recorded 80 mph wind gusts. The wind knocked out power to more than 10,000 residents across the area. Included in these power outages ... | 74 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $380K |
| 2013-01-27 | Winter StormBox Elder County and Tooele County · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains Storm totals across the Great Salt Lake Desert included 14 inches of new snow at Snowville and 13 inches of snow at Ibapah. In addition, an accident along Interstate 80 in Tooele County resulted in a fatality, when an SUV hit a patch of black ice and rolled. The passenger was ejected and killed, and the driver was ... | 1 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12-01 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front | 89 kt wind | 0 | 3 | $108M |
| 1999-04-22 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Ne Box Elder T X Ne/W Weber/Davis | 0 | 0 | $20M | |
| 1997-02-24 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful | 0 | 3 | $7.8M | |
| 1997-04-02 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful | 0 | 20 | $7.8M | |
| 2017-02-07 | FloodPerry, Box Elder County | 0 | 0 | $6.0M | |
| 2001-05-02 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Ne Box Elder T X Ne/W Weber/Davis | 67 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.7M |
| 2000-03-20 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful | 100 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.2M |
| 2016-05-01 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front | 79 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $1.2M |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250, in the dollars of the day) holds: September 10, 1991 (tornado, Box Elder County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Box Elder County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 73 | 128 | 63 | 38 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 24 | 74 | 151 | 48 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 28 | 64 | 137 |
| Hail | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
47% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 77 · Feb 82 · Mar 96 · Apr 92 · May 93 · Jun 100 · Jul 75 · Aug 73 · Sep 41 · Oct 28 · Nov 67 · Dec 107 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Box Elder County
FEMA's register lists 9 declarations that include Box Elder County: 6 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (5) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4525 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3478 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-04-21 | DR-4311 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2011-08-08 | DR-4011 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3223 | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-08-01 | DR-1598 | Flood | Flooding and Landslides |
| 1984-08-17 | DR-720 | Flood | Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides & Flooding |
| 1983-04-30 | DR-680 | Flood | Severe Storms, Landslides & Flooding |
| 1977-01-20 | EM-3024 | Drought | Drought |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Box Elder County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 8 flood or flash flood records for Box Elder County from 1996 to 2023, on 6 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Box Elder County ranks 2128th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $292,000 on 18 claims filed in Box Elder County; the most in one year was 7 in 1986. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1984: 2 · 1985: 3 · 1986: 7 · 1987: 1 · 2001: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Box Elder County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Box Elder County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $31.3 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $6.5M | once in about 65 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $16M | once in about 72 years (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $251K | 12 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.5M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $595K | 31 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $493K | 113 modeled event-days a year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $458K | 2.7 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Box Elder County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in UtahEvery Utah tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in UtahThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Utah recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Box Elder CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Box Elder County's FEMA declarations (CSV)9 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis