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Uintah County, Utah

Natural disaster risk, federal disaster history and flood insurance facts.

Very Low overall risk
24th of 29highest risk in Utah
$4Mexpected losses a year
6federal declarations
1 in 200homes with flood insurance
Photo: U.S. Geological Survey, public domain

Uintah County, Utah has a very low overall risk from natural hazards in FEMA's National Risk Index. Its risk score is lower than 96% of US counties. It ranks 24th of 29 counties in Utah. The costliest hazards here are inland flooding, earthquakes and lightning. FEMA estimates about $3.8 million a year in expected losses, or roughly $108 per resident. Since 1977 it has been included in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events (3 major disasters). The most recent was in August 2011 (flooding). Fewer than 1 in 100 homes here carry federal flood insurance (54 policies). Since 1978, federal flood insurance has paid about $80,000 on 14 claims here.

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025; OpenFEMA declarations to Nov 6, 2026; NFIP records. Updated November 6, 2026.

Top risks in Uintah County

$1.8 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about once every 2 years.
  • Check the FEMA flood map for your address, and ask the seller or landlord about past flooding.
  • Price a flood policy now. Most new federal policies take 30 days to start.

Earthquake

Very Low
$534,548 a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about once every 290 years.
  • Ask whether an older house is bolted to its foundation.
  • Consider separate earthquake insurance where risk is high.

Lightning

Moderate
$428,577 a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 45 times a year.
  • Go indoors when you hear thunder.
  • Use surge protectors for electronics.
HazardRatingScoreExpected loss a year
Inland floodingVery Low10.3
$2M
EarthquakeVery Low56.9
$535K
LightningModerate58.4
$429K
WildfireLow71.4
$260K
DroughtLow51.6
$218K
Cold waveVery Low13.9
$186K
Heat waveVery Low26.5
$147K
TornadoVery Low9.6
$81K
Strong windVery Low4.9
$47K
LandslideLow86.0
$47K
Winter weatherVery Low23.5
$29K
HailVery Low5.0
$16K
Ice stormVery Low10.1
$7K
AvalancheVery Low43.7
$456

Scores are percentiles: a score of 90 means higher risk than about 90% of US counties for that hazard. Hazards FEMA does not rate here are left out. Social vulnerability is very low and community resilience is relatively low in FEMA's measures.

Federal disaster history

Recent disasters nationwide ›

Declarations by decade

Federal declarations for natural events that included Uintah County. 2020s bar runs to November 2026.

By type

Flood3
Drought1
Coastal Storm1
Fire1

Most recent

Aug 8, 2011FloodingMajor disaster
Jun 30, 2007Neola North FireFire management
Sep 5, 2005Hurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergency
Aug 1, 2005Flooding and LandslidesMajor disaster
Apr 30, 1983Severe Storms, Landslides & FloodingMajor disaster
Jan 20, 1977DroughtEmergency

Utah also had 7 statewide declarations that did not name single counties.

Storm history since 1955

Tornado risk by county ›

The National Weather Service has logged 104 storm reports in Uintah County since 1955, with 0 deaths and 1 injury and about $1.6 million in reported damage. The strongest on record here was an F1 tornado on September 3, 1999 near Naples.

8tornadoes
37hail reports, largest 1.75 inches
34damaging thunderstorm winds
15floods and flash floods

Strongest tornadoes

DateStrengthNearHurt / killed
Sep 3, 1999F1Naples1 / 0
Aug 6, 2009EF0Leota0 / 0
May 29, 1988F0–0 / 0
Aug 6, 2009EF0Vernal0 / 0
Mar 23, 1990F0–0 / 0

Most damaging storms

DateTypeNearDamage
Sep 3, 1999TornadoNaples$700K
Aug 6, 2009HailVernal Arpt$140K
May 19, 1997Flash FloodVernal$100K
Aug 7, 2008Flash FloodFt Duchesne$100K
Aug 6, 2009Flash FloodRandlett$52K
Jun 1, 2011FloodJensen$50K

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county-based reports through Sep 30, 2025. Tornado records start in 1950, hail and wind in 1955, and floods and other storm types in 1996, so older decades undercount. Damage is in dollars of the year it happened and is often an estimate. Winter storms, heat and hurricanes are logged by forecast zone, not county, so they are not counted here.

Flood insurance in Uintah County

Check your address flood zone ›
0.5%of homes have federal flood insurance (54 policies)
12.2%of homes in mapped high-risk flood zones are insured
$80,456paid on 14 flood claims since 1978
1984costliest year, with $57,591 paid

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) records only; private flood policies are not included. Home counts as of Aug 3, 2026. Since 2021 NFIP prices each home separately under Risk Rating 2.0, so your price depends on the building, not the county. Ask an agent for a quote.

Homes in Uintah County

$298,600median home value (Utah $489,400, US $332,700)
1992median year homes were built (Utah 1992, US 1980)
35%of homes built before 1980, before many modern wind, quake and flood building rules
11.7%of homes are mobile homes, which are the least safe in tornadoes and high winds

Older homes and mobile homes usually suffer more damage in storms, floods and earthquakes, and can cost more to insure. If you are buying, ask about roof age, foundation bolting and any retrofits. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-year estimates; 13,838 housing units.

Compare in Utah

All 29 ›
Largest countiesOverall riskTop hazard
Salt Lake CountyHighEarthquake
Utah CountyHighEarthquake
Davis CountyModerateEarthquake
Weber CountyModerateEarthquake
Washington CountyModerateWildfire
Cache CountyLowEarthquake
Tooele CountyLowWildfire
Box Elder CountyLowEarthquake

Neighboring counties

CountyOverall riskDeclarations
Garfield County, COLow10
Carbon CountyVery Low3
Duchesne CountyVery Low6
Moffat County, COVery Low4
Grand CountyVery Low2
Rio Blanco County, COVery Low5
Daggett CountyVery Low5

Common questions about Uintah County

What is the biggest natural hazard in Uintah County?

Inland flooding has the highest expected yearly losses in Uintah County, about $1.8 million a year in FEMA's estimate. Earthquake is second at $534,548.

How many federal disasters has Uintah County had?

Uintah County has been included in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events since 1977, including 3 major disasters. The most recent was Flooding in August 2011.

Is Uintah County a high-risk place to live?

Its overall rating is Very Low, 24th highest of 29 in Utah. A county rating covers the whole area. Risk at one address can be much higher or lower, so check the FEMA flood map and ask about the home's history.

Do I need flood insurance in Uintah County?

Standard home insurance does not cover flooding. About 1 in 200 homes in Uintah County has federal flood insurance. Lenders require it in mapped high-risk zones, but many flood claims come from outside those zones.

How many tornadoes has Uintah County had?

NOAA records list 8 tornadoes in Uintah County since 1950. The strongest was an F1 tornado on September 3, 1999 near Naples. The weather service has also logged 37 hail reports and 15 floods here.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, and NFIP policy and claims data. Hazard Compass is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. These figures describe the whole county, not a single property, and are not insurance or safety advice. Report a problem.