NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Utah Summary
From 1980–2024 (as of November 1, 2024), there have been 25 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Utah. These events included 12 drought events, 1 flooding event, 1 freeze event, 1 severe storm event, and 10 wildfire events. The 1980–2023 annual average is 0.6 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2019–2023) is 1.0 event (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 12 | 0.3 | 48.0% | $500M-$1.0B | 14.7% |
| Flooding | 1 | 0.0 | 4.0% | $1.0B-$2.0B | 44.8% |
| Freeze | 1 | 0.0 | 4.0% | $5M-$100M | 0.4% |
| Severe Storm | 1 | 0.0 | 4.0% | $5M-$100M | 0.8% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | 10 | 0.2 | 40.0% | $1.0B-$2.0B | 39.3% |
| Winter Storm | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| All Disasters | 25 | 0.6 | 100.0% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 100.0% |
| Drought | 12 | 0.3 | 50.0% | $250M-$500M | 17.4% |
| Flooding | 1 | 0.0 | 4.2% | $500M-$1.0B | 27.4% |
| Freeze | 1 | 0.0 | 4.2% | $0M-$5M | 0.2% |
| Severe Storm | 1 | 0.0 | 4.2% | $5M-$100M | 1.3% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | 9 | 0.2 | 37.5% | $500M-$1.0B | 53.7% |
| Winter Storm | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| All Disasters | 24 | 0.5 | 100.0% | $1.0B-$2.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 3 | 0.3 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 48.1% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 1 | 0.1 | $100M-$250M | 3.0% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 8 | 0.8 | $500M-$1.0B | 17.5% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 8 | 0.8 | $500M-$1.0B | 22.9% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 5 | 1.0 | $250M-$500M | 8.5% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 3 | 1.0 | $100M-$250M | 4.4% |
| Last Year (2023) | 0 | 0.0 | $0M | 0% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 25 | 0.6 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 100.0% |
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 3 | 0.3 | $500M-$1.0B | 29.8% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 0 | 0.0 | $0M | 0% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 8 | 0.8 | $250M-$500M | 20.9% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 8 | 0.8 | $500M-$1.0B | 35.3% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 5 | 1.0 | $250M-$500M | 14.1% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 3 | 1.0 | $100M-$250M | 7.5% |
| Last Year (2023) | 0 | 0.0 | $0M | 0% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 24 | 0.5 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-AUnadjusted Estimated Cost (in Billions) |
Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western/ 2022 | Drought | January 1, 2022 | December 31, 2022 | Severe drought conditions impacted many Western and Central states. Large reservoirs across the West including Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Oroville, and Shasta Lake, among others continue to be depleted. Lake Mead, the Nation's largest reservoir, is nearing dead pool status and is at the lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s. The Great Salt Lake is also near record-low levels. The impacts of the drought affected crop production across may states and sharply increased feeding costs for livestock. Many segments of the Mississippi River also experienced low water levels causing delays and reductions in river commerce. Extreme heat also developed for many days across Western and Central states. These excess heat conditions caused more than one hundred heat-related fatalities focused across Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon and Texas. The 2022 drought was one of the costlier droughts on record, with a diverse array of direct impacts across different regions and industries. | $23.5 CI | 136 |
Western Wildfires 2021 | Wildfire | June 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | Severe drought conditions and periods of extreme heat provided conditions favorable for another damaging western wildfire season most focused across California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Arizona. The Dixie Fire consumed over 960,000 acres making it the second-largest wildfire on record in California while also destroying more than 1,000 structures. California's Caldor Fire grew rapidly during August, threatening South Lake Tahoe communities and burned over 220,000 acres. Other large wildfires included the Ford Corkscrew Fire (Washington), the Bootleg Fire (Oregon), the Boundary Fire (Idaho), the Trail Creek Fire (Montana) and the Telegraph Fire (Arizona), among many others. There was also the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado on December 30 that damaged or destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses. This wildfire is the most destructive on record in Colorado. Throughout the wildfire season air quality was also a concern across numerous states, as ash and fine particulates from wildfires obscured the skies and made outdoor activities more hazardous. Over 7.1 million acres burned nationally during the 2021 wildfire season. | $12.1 CI | 8 |
Western Drought and Heat Wave 2021 | Drought | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | Western drought conditions were persistent throughout 2021, as the drought expanded and intensified across many Western states. A historic heat wave also developed for many days across the Pacific Northwest shattering numerous all-time high temperature records across the region. This prolonged heat dome was maximized over the states of Oregon and Washington and extended well into Canada. These extreme temperatures impacted several major cities and millions of people. For example, Portland reached a high of 116 degrees F while Seattle reached 108 degrees F. These extreme temperatures caused hundreds of direct and indirect heat-related fatalities across Oregon and Washington, not including excess mortality that may be hundreds of additional deaths. This combined drought and heat rapidly dried out vegetation across the West, impacting agriculture. Low water levels also forced the hydroelectric power plant at Lake Oroville in California to shut down for the first time since it opened in 1967. | $10.1 CI | 229 |
Western Wildfires - California, Oregon, Washington Firestorms Fall 2020 | Wildfire | August 1, 2020 | December 30, 2020 | A record-breaking U.S. wildfire season burned more than 10.2 million acres. California more than doubled its previous annual record for area burned (last set in 2018) with over 4.1 million acres. Five of the top six largest wildfires on record in California (dating to 1932) burned during August and September. The August Complex was the largest California wildfire, which began as 37 separate wildfires within the Mendocino National Forest, set off after storms caused >10,000 lightning strikes across Northern California. Approximately 10,500 structures were damaged or destroyed across California. Oregon also had historic levels of wildfire damage, as over 2,000 structures burned. These wildfires spread rapidly and destroyed several small towns in California, Oregon and Washington. Colorado also had a severe wildfire season, as its three largest wildfires on record burned during 2020. Dense wildfire smoke also produced hazardous air quality that affected millions of people that also included major cities for weeks. Hundreds of additional wildfires also burned across other Western states. | $19.9 CI | 46 |
Western/ Summer-Fall 2020 | Drought | June 1, 2020 | December 30, 2020 | Widespread, continuous drought and record heat affected more than a dozen Western and Central states for much of the summer, fall and into the winter months. Persistent above-average temperatures and precipitation deficits caused D3 (extreme) and D4 (exceptional) drought coverage in December that was the largest extent since August 2012. Death Valley recorded a temperature of 130 degrees F - the highest measured temperature globally in decades - while Los Angeles county recorded a record high of 121 degrees F. There were considerable crop and livestock impacts across the West and Central states from both the persistent heat and increasingly dry conditions. The combined drought and heat also assisted in drying out vegetation across the West that contributed to the Western wildfire potential and severity. | $5.4 CI | 45 |
Western Wildfires, California Firestorm Summer-Fall 2018 | Wildfire | June 1, 2018 | December 31, 2018 | In 2018, California has experienced its costliest, deadliest and largest wildfires to date, with records back to 1933. The Camp Fire is the costliest and deadliest wildfire - destroying more than 18,500 buildings. California also endured its largest wildfire on record - the Medincino Complex Fire - burning over 450,000 acres. Additionally, California was impacted by other destructive wildfires: the Carr Fire in Northern California and the Woolsey Fire in Southern California. The total 2018 wildfire costs in California (with minor costs in other Western states) approach $24.0 ($30.0) billion - a new U.S. record. In total, over 8.7 million acres has burned across the U.S. during 2018, which is well above the 10-year average (2009-2018) of 6.8 million acres. The last 2 years of U.S. wildfire damage has been unprecedented in damage, with losses exceeding $40.0 ($50.0) billion. | $30.0 CI | 106 |
Southwest/ Summer-Fall 2018 | Drought | June 1, 2018 | December 30, 2018 | Drought conditions were present across numerous Southwestern and Plains states (TX, OK, KS, MO, CO, NM, AZ, UT). The most extreme drought conditions continue to persist across the Four Corners region of the Southwest. The agriculture sector has been impacted across the affected states including damage to field crops from lack of rainfall. Ranchers have also be forced to sell-off livestock early in some regions due to high feeding costs. | $3.8 CI | 0 |
Colorado Hail Storm June 2018 | Severe Storm | June 18, 2018 | June 19, 2018 | Severe hail storms cause golf ball to baseball-sized hail and widespread damage in many areas from northern Denver to Boulder and Fort Collins. Many homes, businesses and vehicles were impacted. Utah also experienced moderate hail damage. | $2.8 CI | 0 |
Western Drought 2015 | Drought | January 1, 2015 | December 31, 2015 | Drought conditions were present across numerous western states (CA, NV, OR, WA, ID, MT, UT, AZ) with the most severe conditions continuing to plague California for all of 2015. The agriculture sector was again impacted by a lack of rainfall resulting in hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland remaining fallow and requiring excess groundwater pumping to irrigate existing agriculture interests. Wildfire conditions were further enhanced by the ongoing drought. California experienced extensive damage from both drought and wildfire impacts. Drought conditions did improve dramatically across Texas and Oklahoma, in the form of several major flood events. | $6.0 CI | 0 |
Western Drought 2014 | Drought | January 1, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | Historic drought conditions affected the majority of California for all of 2014 making it the worst drought on record for the state. Surrounding states and parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas also experienced continued severe drought conditions. This is a continuation of drought conditions that have persisted for several years. | $5.3 CI | 0 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2013 | Drought | March 1, 2013 | November 30, 2013 | The 2013 drought slowly dissipated from the historic levels of the 2012 drought, as conditions improved across many Midwestern and Plains states. However, moderate to extreme drought did remain or expand into western states (AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY). In comparison to 2011 and 2012 drought conditions the US experienced only moderate crop losses across the central agriculture states. | $14.3 CI | 53 |
U.S. Drought/ 2012 | Drought | January 1, 2012 | December 31, 2012 | The 2012 drought is the most extensive drought to affect the U.S. since the 1930s. Moderate to extreme drought conditions affected more than half the country for a majority of 2012. The following states were affected: CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO, AZ, NM, TX, ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, AR, MO, IA, MN, IL, IN, GA. Costly drought impacts occurred across the central agriculture states resulting in widespread harvest failure for corn, sorghum and soybean crops, among others. The associated summer heat wave also caused 123 direct deaths, but an estimate of the excess mortality due to heat stress is still unknown. | $41.7 CI | 123 |
Western Wildfires Summer-Fall 2012 | Wildfire | June 1, 2012 | November 30, 2012 | Wildfires burned over 9.2 million acres across the U.S. in 2012. This is the 3rd highest annual total since the year 2000. The most damaging wildfires occurred in the western states (CO, ID, WY, MT, CA, NV, OR, WA). Colorado experienced the most costly wildfires (e.g., Waldo Canyon fire) where several hundred residences were destroyed. | $2.4 CI | 8 |
U.S. Wildfires Fall 2008 | Wildfire | September 1, 2008 | November 30, 2008 | Drought conditions across numerous western, central and southeastern states (AK, AZ, CA, NM, ID, UT, MT, NV, OR, WA, CO, TX, OK, NC, FL ) resulted in thousands of wildfires; national acreage burned exceeding 5.2 million acres (mainly in the west) and over 1,000 homes and structures destroyed in California fires alone. | $1.8 CI | 16 |
Western/ Summer-Fall 2007 | Drought | June 1, 2007 | November 30, 2007 | Severe drought with periods of extreme heat over most of the southeast and portions of the Great Plains, Ohio Valley, and Great Lakes area, resulting in major reductions in crop yields, along with very low stream-flows and lake levels. Includes states of ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, MN, WI, IA, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, NC, SC, FL, TN, VA, WV, KY, IN, IL, OH, MI, PA, NY. | $5.5 CI | 15 |
Western Wildfires Summer 2007 | Wildfire | June 1, 2007 | August 31, 2007 | Continued drought conditions and high winds over much of the western U.S. (AK, AZ, CA, ID, UT, MT, NV, OR, WA) resulting in numerous wildfires; with national acreage burned exceeding 8.9 million acres (mainly in the west) and over 3,000 homes and structures destroyed in southern California alone. | $4.1 CI | 12 |
Numerous Wildfires 2006 | Wildfire | January 1, 2006 | December 31, 2006 | Numerous wildfires driven by dry weather and high winds burned over 9.8 million acres, across the western half of the country including Alaska. This is the second highest annual total behind the 10.1 million acres burned in 2015 since record-keeping began in 1960. The most affected states were AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, MT, NM, NV, OK, OR, TX, WA, WY | $2.3 CI | 28 |
California Wildfires Fall 2003 | Wildfire | September 1, 2003 | November 30, 2003 | Dry weather, high winds, and resulting wildfires in Southern California burned over 3,700 homes. Nearly 4.0 million acres burned across numerous western states including Alaska. | $6.6 CI | 22 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2003 | Drought | March 1, 2003 | November 30, 2003 | 2003 drought across western and central portions of the U.S. with losses to agriculture. The states most impacted include AZ, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, OR, SD, WA and WI. | $8.7 CI | 35 |
Western Fire Season Fall 2002 | Wildfire | September 1, 2002 | November 30, 2002 | Major wildfires over 11 western states from the Rockies to the west coast due to drought and periodic high winds, with over 7.1 million acres burned. | $2.3 CI | 21 |
U.S. Drought Spring-Fall 2002 | Drought | March 1, 2002 | November 30, 2002 | Moderate to extreme drought over large portions of more than 30 states, including the western states, the Great Plains, and much of the eastern U.S. | $16.0 CI | 0 |
Western Fire Season Summer-Fall 1994 | Wildfire | June 1, 1994 | November 30, 1994 | Severe wildfire season in the western states due to dry weather conditions. The states most impacted include CA, AZ, OR, WA, CO, UT, NV, NM and TX. | $1.5* CI | 0 |
Northern Plains Drought Summer-Fall 1989 | Drought | June 1, 1989 | November 30, 1989 | Severe summer drought over much of the northern plains with significant losses to agriculture. The states impacted include CO, IA, IL, KS, MO, ND, NE, NV, SD, TX and UT. | $7.8 CI | 0 |
Freeze/ December 1983 | Freeze | December 15, 1983 | December 25, 1983 | Severe freeze damages citrus crops across central/northern Florida. Associated cold wave over much of the U.S. causes over 100 deaths and additional damages. | $6.5 CI | 151 |
Western Storms and Flooding December 1982-March 1983 | Flooding | December 13, 1982 | March 31, 1983 | Severe storms and flooding, especially in the states of WA, OR, CA, AZ, NV, ID, UT, and MT | $4.8 CI | 50 |
†Deaths associated with drought are the result of heat waves. (Not all droughts are accompanied by extreme heat waves.)
Flooding events (river basin or urban flooding from excessive rainfall) are separate from inland flood damage caused by tropical cyclone events.
*Statistics valid as of November 1, 2024
Citing this information:
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2024). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/, DOI: 10.25921/stkw-7w73