How Likely Is a Tornado in Uintah County, UT?
How likely is a tornado in Uintah County, UT?
Uintah County has recorded 8 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 9.5 years - our Low band. Put another way: Uintah County sees more tornado activity than 24% of US counties. Among 29 Utah counties in this dataset, Uintah County ranks 7 for how often a tornado touches down.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
8 weak and 0 significant tornadoes make up Uintah County's 8-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Uintah County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Utah has no state rebate program confirmed here; FEMA's underlying 75% cost-share exists nationwide, but applying through a state program is what usually makes it real, and none was found for Utah this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
The storm that misses Uintah County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Utah are common well beyond the tracked path. A battery-backup unit handles that without a generator's setup or fuel.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Uintah County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 4,483 square miles, so a single touch counts the same as one in a county a fraction of that size. Weaker pre-1990s tornadoes are also documented as undercounted in NOAA's own record. Uintah County has about 38,307 residents.