Piute County, Utah

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 49031 · population 1,429 · 758 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 292 records for Piute County, Utah from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 283 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (236 records). 273 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 8, 2005 avalanche, filed for the forecast zone X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 8 declarations naming the county since 1977, 6 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Monroe Canyon Fire” on July 16, 2025.

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
292on 283 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
644 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$60Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
1strongest F0
FEMA declarations
8latest 2025

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 Piute County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 236 since 1996. 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.

Piute County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Winter storms 236 232 1996-2026 2 29 $276K 10 of 29
High wind and dust storms 21 21 1996-2025 0 11 $3.7M 17 of 29
Floods 15 15 1997-2021 1 0 $322K 9 of 29
Landslides and avalanches 5 5 2005-2019 3 0 $16M 12 of 29
Severe thunderstorm wind 5 5 1984-2026 0 0 – 21 of 29
Wildfires 5 5 2012-2026 0 4 $40M 8 of 29
Extreme cold 2 2 1998-2005 0 0 – 10 of 29
Hail 2 2 2000-2011 0 0 – 23 of 29
Tornadoes 1 1 1984-1984 0 0 – 18 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 Piute County had?

NOAA records 1 tornado in Piute County from 1984 to 1984, 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 Piute 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 Utah.

Every tornado record filed for Piute County (1)
Every tornado recorded in Piute County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1984-08-19 Piute County F0 0 0 –

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 Piute County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 30, 2025 strong wind.

The 12 most recent records kept for Piute County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 WildfireBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 –
2026-05-13 Thunderstorm WindJunction, Piute County 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-02-19 Heavy SnowBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 –
2026-02-18 Winter WeatherBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 –
2026-02-18 Winter WeatherBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 –
2026-02-16 Heavy SnowBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 –
2025-06-30 Strong WindGarfield County and 2 more · forecast zone Upper Sevier River Valleys 43 kt wind 0 0 $500
2025-06-19 WildfireBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 $35M
2025-03-13 Heavy SnowBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 –
2025-03-05 Heavy SnowBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 –
2025-02-13 Heavy SnowBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 –
2017-07-01 WildfireBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 $2.4M

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

Records with deaths or injuries in Piute County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2005-01-08 AvalancheBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver A stalled storm system just off the southern California coast was able to tap abundant tropical moisture from the central Equatorial Pacific Ocean and dump copious amounts of rain and wet snow on many portions of Utah. The relatively warm air ahead of the storm raised snow levels and rain fell on an already deep ... 2 0 –
2003-12-28 Winter StormBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone Central And Southwest Mountains Another potent winter storm hit much of Utah, with the northern part of the state the hardest hit. Weather was believed to be the main factor in 2 traffic fatalities. Several hundred minor accidents and fender benders occurred up and down the Wasatch Front, with no major injuries reported. Strong south winds ahead of ... 2 0 –
2007-02-17 AvalancheBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone Central And Southwest Mountains Human triggered avalanche on Signal Peak claimed the life of a snowmobiler. 1 0 –
1997-08-22 Flash FloodKingston, Piute County Flash flooding occurred on the East Fork of the Sevier River in Piute county. Just east of Kingston, farmers' hay crops were destroyed. Logging trails in the area were washed out. Mud slides trapped motorists for nearly 10 hours on SR-62. 1 0 $92K
1999-04-08 Winter StormBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver Another vigorous storm brought great powder to all of Utah's mountains, with heavy snow also in the northern valleys. Gusty winds also blew ahead of the front. The storm was even cold enough to bring the first April snowfall in 72 years to St. George, where a light dusting of about half an inch was reported. The storm ... 0 19 $18K
2002-04-15 High WindBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver Almost all of Utah was overly taxed as a powerful spring storm brought damaging winds and blowing dust to the area. The winds ahead of the cold front toppled semis, caused numerous traffic accidents, closed freeways, whipped up wildfires, and produced widespread power outages. At the storms peak, nearly 100,000 people ... 75 kt wind 0 10 $3.4M
1998-12-19 Winter StormBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone Central And Southwest Mountains The leading edge of an arctic airmass brought heavy snow to much of Northern Utah late on the 19th into the 20th, with the heavy snow pushing into Southern Utah on the 21st. For awhile on the 20th, I-70 from Salina to Green River was closed due to heavy snow. Power outages were also noted in portions of South Jordan. ... 0 10 $181K
2012-07-01 WildfireBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains The Shingle Fire began on July 1st, five miles east of Duck Creek, Utah and 4 miles south of State Route 14. The fire was caused by sparks from an ATV. In total, the Shingle Fire burned 8,061 acres before it was 100% contained on July 11th. Four firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze. The fire caused the ... 0 4 $193K
The costliest records in Piute County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-06-19 WildfireBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 $35M
2011-10-08 Debris FlowBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 $16M
2002-04-15 High WindBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver 75 kt wind 0 10 $3.4M
2017-06-17 WildfireBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 $2.4M
2017-07-01 WildfireBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 0 $2.4M
2012-07-01 WildfireBeaver County and 6 more · forecast zone Southern Mountains 0 4 $193K
1997-09-25 High WindBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver 0 1 $184K
1998-12-19 Winter StormBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone Central And Southwest Mountains 0 10 $181K

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 Piute 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).

Piute County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Winter storms––––59854844
High wind and dust storms––––4737
Floods––––3642

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 Piute County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 48 · Feb 52 · Mar 41 · Apr 21 · May 9 · Jun 7 · Jul 12 · Aug 8 · Sep 4 · Oct 16 · Nov 25 · Dec 49 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Piute County

FEMA's register lists 8 declarations that include Piute County: 3 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 2 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (2) and biological (2).

Declarations including Piute County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2025-07-16FM-5600FireMonroe Canyon Fire
2024-07-07FM-5504FireSilver King Fire
2020-04-04DR-4525BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3478BiologicalCovid-19
2011-08-08DR-4011FloodFlooding
2005-09-05EM-3223Coastal StormHurricane Katrina Evacuation
1983-04-30DR-680FloodSevere Storms, Landslides & Flooding
1977-01-20EM-3024DroughtDrought

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 Piute County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 15 flood or flash flood records for Piute County from 1997 to 2021, on 15 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Piute County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $3,672 on 1 claim filed in Piute County; the most in one year was 1 in 1983. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1983: 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 Piute County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Piute 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Piute County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
LandslideRelatively Moderate$88Kabout once a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Low$95K28 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Low$36K76 modeled event-days a year
LightningRelatively Low$87K45 a year (modeled)
WildfireVery Low$80Konce in about 1,011 years (modeled)
EarthquakeVery Low$274Konce in about 75 years (modeled)
AvalancheVery Low$484once in about 30 years (modeled)
Volcanic ActivityVery Low$1once in about 3,333 years (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Piute County

  1. Garfield County 613
  2. Beaver County 544
  3. Wayne County 491
  4. Sevier County 395
  5. Piute County 292

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next