Esmeralda County, Nevada
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 32009 · population 725 · 3,582 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 214 records for Esmeralda County, Nevada from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 191 days; the most frequent are high wind and dust records (148 records). 187 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 January 1, 2006 winter storm, filed for the forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye, which covers the county: 1 death and 6 injuries. FEMA has issued 3 declarations naming the county since 2005, 1 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Katrina Evacuation” on September 13, 2005.
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
- 214on 191 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 17 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.6Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 1strongest F0
- FEMA declarations
- 3latest 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 Esmeralda County most?
The most frequent records are high wind and dust records: 148 since 1999. The rank column places the county among Nevada'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High wind and dust storms | 148 | 128 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 1 | $764K | 8 of 17 |
| Winter storms | 30 | 30 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 6 | $169K | 13 of 17 |
| Floods | 20 | 19 | 1997-2023 | 0 | 0 | $550K | 9 of 17 |
| Heat | 9 | 9 | 2020-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 of 17 |
| Lightning | 4 | 4 | 2010-2012 | 0 | 0 | $113K | 3 of 17 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2019-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 17 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | $7K | 17 of 17 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 1982-1982 | 0 | 0 | $92 | 13 of 17 |
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 Esmeralda County had?
NOAA records 1 tornado in Esmeralda County from 1982 to 1982, the strongest rated F0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. 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 1 tornado whose track touched Esmeralda County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 1, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Nevada.
Every tornado record filed for Esmeralda County (1)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-08-27 | Esmeralda County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
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 Esmeralda County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 19, 2010 strong wind (1 injury).
A wind gust blew open a door, which hit a person and knocked him unconscious.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 273195)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-26 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 68 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-21 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-16 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-12 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-31 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-17 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-21 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-12 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-17 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-13 | Heavy SnowEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-05 | Heavy SnowEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-01-01 | Winter StormEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye Dyer received 8 inches of snow. During the early morning hours of January 3rd, icy roads contributed to three separate car crashes on Highways 95 and 6 in Esmeralda County, resulting in one fatality (indirect) and six injuries. | 1 | 6 | – | |
| 2010-12-19 | Strong WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye A wind gust blew open a door, which hit a person and knocked him unconscious. | 40 kt wind | 0 | 1 | – |
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 Esmeralda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 40 | 71 | 36 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 8 | 13 | 7 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | 14 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Esmeralda County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 16 · Feb 16 · Mar 34 · Apr 32 · May 13 · Jun 23 · Jul 18 · Aug 11 · Sep 8 · Oct 12 · Nov 14 · Dec 17 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Esmeralda County
FEMA's register lists 3 declarations that include Esmeralda County: one major disaster, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for biological (2) and hurricane (1).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4523 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3443 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3243 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
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.
FEMA's modeled risk for Esmeralda County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Esmeralda County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $1.3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $253K | 124 modeled event-days a year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $455K | once in about 15 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $150K | 4 modeled event-days a year |
| Landslide | Very Low | $535 | 6.7 a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Very Low | $198 | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $12K | once in about 10,015 years (modeled) |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | $1 | once in about 1,111 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | $4K | 5.9 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Esmeralda 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 NevadaEvery Nevada tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- High wind and dust storms in NevadaThe state's high wind and dust records, by county, year and month
- The Nevada recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Esmeralda CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Esmeralda County's FEMA declarations (CSV)3 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis