Utah floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 29 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,399 floods and flash floods in Utah from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 51 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the September 14, 2015 flash flood in Washington County: 20 deaths, 3 injuries and $934,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 2 records. Utah ranks 36th of 52 states and territories by count and 43rd of 51 per square mile.
Floods in Utah, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1,3991996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 51average
- Deaths
- 4959 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $708Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2013123 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in Utah?
Utah averages about 51 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 36th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2013 (123). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Utah records 169 floods and flash floods since 1996, 43rd of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Utah have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Washington County leads Utah: 209 days with a flood since 1996, 86.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Washington County has the most flood records (300 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in Utah?
63% of its floods and flash floods since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (476 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 12 · Feb 7 · Mar 18 · Apr 16 · May 55 · Jun 100 · Jul 404 · Aug 476 · Sep 226 · Oct 72 · Nov 5 · Dec 8 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in Utah?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-09-14 | Flash FloodGrafton, Washington County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Multiple strong thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall moved through southwest Utah on September 14, creating significant flash flooding in Hildale, Utah and Zion National Park. These two flash flood events combined to produce the deadliest natural disaster in Utah history, with 20 fatalities in the state of Utah, and ... | 20 | 3 | $934K | |
| 2008-09-10 | Flash FloodEscalante Municipal Airport, Garfield County Flash flooding occurred in a small, but popular, slot canyon called Egypt 3, located near the Escalante River in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This flooding resulted in two fatalities and two more injuries. The drainage of Egypt 3 is very small, measuring approximately 1.2 square miles. The area is void of ... | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2023-03-11 | FloodAdairville, Kane County A group of 3 hikers went on a three day trip through Buckskin Gulch, and were set to return Sunday night. Family members reported them missing Monday morning when they did not return as scheduled. A search began shortly thereafter with one of the hikers found alive on Monday, and taken to a hospital via helicopter. ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2023-03-13 | FloodAdairville, Kane County A group of hikers went on a three day trip to Buckskin Gulch and were set to return Sunday night. Family members reported them missing Monday morning when they did not return as scheduled. A search began shortly thereafter and one of the hikers was found alive Monday evening and was taken to a hospital via helicopter. ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2006-07-30 | Flash FloodHelper, Carbon County Flash Flood in Garleys Canyon. SUV with 5 occupants (2 adults, 3 children) overtaken by flood waters. 5 year old boy and 1 year old boy drowned. 3 year old girl sustained non-life threatening injuries. 2 adults uninjured. | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 1998-07-27 | Flash FloodZion National Park, Washington County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Flash flooding killed 2 California hikers in the Narrows of Zion National Park. Flash flooding occurred again on the Canal Canyon Creek just south of Spring City causing even more damage. Heavy rains in Utah county caused minor basement flooding in Pleasant Grove and mudslides in Spanish Fork Canyon. | 2 | 0 | $543K | |
| 2024-06-21 | Flash FloodMoab, Grand County Major flooding in Moab and Castle Valley from strong thunderstorm that produced very heavy rain across town, Mill Creek, North Mill Creek, Kane Creek and a drainage above Castle Valley. 1 inch of rain fell in 15 minutes for a rainrate of 4 inches per hour. 2 reported missing in Moab area with an abandoned vehicle ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-05-20 | Flash FloodAdairville, Kane County Scattered thunderstorms developed across southern Utah on Saturday, moving across the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument towards the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Locally heavy rainfall was associated with these thunderstorms, with radar estimated rainfall from around 0.75 inches to 1.5 inches noted ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2020-05-11 | Flash FloodMoore, Emery County Flash flooding occurred in Little Wild Horse, Bell, Crack, and Dang Canyons, with two confirmed fatalities. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-01-10 | FloodWashington County · forecast zone Sc Washington 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 ... | 1 | 6 | $453M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in Utah
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-01-10 | FloodWashington County · forecast zone Sc Washington | 1 | 6 | $453M | |
| 2010-12-19 | FloodGoldstrike, Washington County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $28M | |
| 2022-10-02 | Flash FloodPotash, Grand County | 0 | 0 | $26M | |
| 2023-08-03 | Flash FloodNash, Salt Lake County One storm episode: 5 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $19M | |
| 2021-08-01 | Flash FloodMohrland, Emery County One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 1 | $13M | |
| 2006-10-06 | Flash FloodFruita, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $12M | |
| 2017-02-07 | FloodPerry, Box Elder County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 2017-07-26 | Flash FloodSalt Lake City, Salt Lake County | 0 | 0 | $11M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in Utah?
Utah's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Utah | United States | Utah's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 82 | 20,986 | 0.39% |
| 2000s | 295 | 54,913 | 0.54% |
| 2010s | 625 | 68,322 | 0.91% |
| 2020-26 | 397 | 43,563 | 0.91% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in Utah
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-25 | Flash FloodMonroe, Sevier County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-25 | Flash FloodMonroe, Sevier County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-14 | Flash FloodMoore, Emery County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | Flash FloodMoore, Emery County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-24 | FloodCentral, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $30K | |
| 2025-10-15 | Flash FloodAdairville, Kane County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-12 | Flash FloodGlen Canyon, Kane County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-12 | Flash FloodBloomington, Washington County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-11 | Flash FloodZion Lodge, Washington County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-11 | Flash FloodAdairville, Kane County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-11 | Flash FloodAdairville, Kane County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-10 | Flash FloodPine Vly, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $125K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in Utah
FEMA has declared 11 disasters in Utah for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 11 were major disasters, the latest on December 23, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-12-23 | DR-4752 | Flooding | 5 |
| 2017-04-21 | DR-4311 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 2012-11-03 | DR-4088 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2011-08-08 | DR-4011 | Flooding | 19 |
| 2011-02-11 | DR-1955 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 3 |
| 2005-08-01 | DR-1598 | Flooding and Landslides | 9 |
| 2005-02-01 | DR-1576 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 1989-01-31 | DR-820 | Dike Failure & Flash Flooding | 1 |
| 1986-03-13 | DR-760 | Heavy Rains, Snowmelt & Flooding | 4 |
| 1984-08-17 | DR-720 | Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides & Flooding | 12 |
| 1983-04-30 | DR-680 | Severe Storms, Landslides & Flooding | 22 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Washington County: the county's whole recordThe Utah county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in UtahTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Utah4,165 records
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Utah2,483 records
- High wind and dust storms in Utah1,200 records