Utah County, UT Environment & Hazard Risk

• LightningVery High$6.9M/yr expected annual loss, about 44 events a year
• WildfireRelatively High$35M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 81 years
• EarthquakeRelatively High$163M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 71 years
• Heat waveRelatively Moderate$8.1M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.3 events a year
• Winter weatherRelatively High$896K/yr expected annual loss, about 41 events a year
• AvalancheRelatively High$3.4M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Strong windRelatively High$2.8M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• LandslideRelatively Low$16K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.7 events a year
• Volcanic activityVery Low$157/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10,000 years
• DroughtRelatively Moderate$705K/yr expected annual loss, about 69 events a year
• TornadoRelatively Low$2.1M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 9 years
• Ice stormRelatively Low$137K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 67 years
• Cold waveRelatively Low$1.1M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 41 years
• HailVery Low$200K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

514 of 173,860 (0.3%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

886

Insured in high-risk zones

238 (27%)

Flood claims since 1978

105

Claims paid since 1978

$505K

• Thunderstorm Wind133 · 3 deaths
• Heavy Snow75 · 1 death
• High Wind45
• Hail37
• Flash Flood31
• Avalanche21 · 11 deaths
• Winter Storm14
• Winter Weather9 · 1 death
• Debris Flow9
• Lightning8 · 1 death

• Avalanche05/09/2024

  Wasatch Mountains South of I-80

  2 deaths, 1 injured

  What happened

  A group of three backcountry skiers set out early in the morning to ski in the Big Willow Aprons area near Lone Peak. After skiing for several hours without issue, an unintentionally triggered soft slab avalanche occurred on the north aspect of the slope (approximately 40 degree angle) around 10,600 feet elevation. The avalanche was approximately 18 inches deep, 150 feet wide, and had a vertical run of 800 feet. All three skiers were caught by the avalanche. One skier was partially buried and was able to self-extricate. After self-extricating, the skier attempted to find the transceiver signal of the buried skiers. Approximately 13 minutes after the avalanche, the skier successfully probed one of the buried skiers and uncovered them, but they were ultimately unresponsive when rescue breaths were attempted. In the subsequent minutes, the second buried skier was probed and uncovered, but also found to be unresponsive to any resuscitation attempts. Around 1-1.5 hours after the avalanche, a helicopter ambulance was able to hoist the injured skier out, and this skier was subsequently taken to the hospital and released later in the day. Due to unfavorable weather, search and rescue...

• Winter Weather10/29/2024

  Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs

  1 death, 2 injured, $150K damage

  What happened

  A pickup truck collided head-on with a semitrailer after the driver of the pickup truck lost control on state Route 96. Archived liquid precipitation measurements suggest around 0.2-0.5 had fallen in the area by that point, with National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center data indicating a snow depth of 2-4 inches at the time of the crash.

• Heavy Snow12/27/2022

  Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs

  1 death, 2 injured, $40K damage

  What happened

  Media reports indicated a fatal head-on crash in snow occurred around 10:50 a.m. Road conditions from the nearest road weather sensor (US-40 @ Daniels Summit) indicated wind gusts peaked at 28 mph at 10 a.m. Road grip was decreased from 9:45 a.m. through the remainder of the morning, and was at it's lowest at 10:25 a.m. Visibility dropped below 1 mile around 9:45 a.m., and remained below 1 mile the remainder of the morning.

• Avalanche02/21/2026

  Wasatch Mountains South of I-80

  1 death, 2 injured

  What happened

  Two skiers left the Butler Fork trailhead in Big Cottonwood Canyon Saturday morning 2/21 with the plan to do a run known as The Triangle. This is in Butler Basin, a Big Cottonwood Canyon drainage east of Gobblers Knob. The skiers ascended a steep north-facing slope next to the desired run, when near the top an avalanche broke. Both skiers were caught and carried around 100 feet down the slope, becoming fully buried at the bottom. Other groups of skiers in the basin witnessed the avalanche occur, and notified 911, Alta Central, and began rescue efforts. Around 10 minutes after the avalanche, one of the bystanders made their way to the debris, conducted a beacon search, and eventually found a splitboard binding still attached. Additional bystanders arrived and helped uncover the first victim, cleared their airway, allowing them to breathe and gain consciousness. The victim had suffered a leg injury, but was moved to a safer location. Around this time others began transceiver searching for the other victim, eventually exposing the boot. The skier was buried around 150 cm and face down. The second victim was unburied and CPR efforts were initiated. An EMT was longlined to assist...

• Avalanche02/08/2025

  Wasatch Mountains South of I-80

  1 death, 1 injured

  What happened

  A skier and a guide were caught in an avalanche in the East Bowl of upper Silver Fork. The skier triggered the avalanche above the guide who was skiing below. Both were carried by the avalanche. The skier was badly injured, with a broken leg, but survived. The guide had traumatic injuries and died.

• Avalanche02/19/2026

  Wasatch Mountains South of I-80

  1 death, 1 injured

  What happened

  In the late afternoon hours a man and his juvenile son were riding snowmobiles in the Snake Creek/Ant Knolls area of the Wasatch Mountains roughly between Alta and Midway. The father reportedly became stuck at the bottom of a steep bowl like slope around 4:00 PM, with the son also becoming stuck upon attempting to help. An avalanche released from higher up on the slope, narrowly avoiding the son, but catching and carrying the father and his snowmobile roughly 300 feet down the hill, burying him near a tree under around two feet of snow. The son called 911 and began searching for his father, but by the time he was able to partially unbury his father, the father had passed.

• Provo CityServes 116,288 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Orem City Water SystemServes 98,129 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Lehi CityServes 93,446 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+50 monitoring or reporting
• Saratoga Springs CityServes 68,000 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Eagle Mountain CityServes 61,266 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Spanish Fork CityServes 47,169 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Pleasant Grove CityServes 40,000 · Groundwater · Local government2 health violations
• American Fork CityServes 39,045 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting