Salt Lake City Metro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Salt Lake City Area is much higher than Utah average and is much higher than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Salt Lake City Area is higher than Utah average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #41
| Salt Lake City Area | 4.01 |
| Utah | 2.02 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #127
| Salt Lake City Area | 0.0001 |
| Utah | 0.0191 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #774
| Salt Lake City Area | 23.85 |
| Utah | 12.59 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 1,014 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Salt Lake City Area were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 0 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 14 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 69 | Hail: | 232 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 5 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 9 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 562 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 0 | Winter Weather: | 0 |
| Other: | 123 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
A total of 1 volcano is found in or near Salt Lake City Area.
| Distance (miles) | Name | Region | Latitude | Longitude | Elevation (foot) | Type | Status | Last Eruption |
| 109.7 | Black Rock Desert | US-Utah, United States | 38.97 | -112.5 | 1800 | Volcanic field | Radiocarbon | Last known eruption A.D. 1-1499 |
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Salt Lake City Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 36.2 | 1962-09-05 | 5.1 | N/A | 40.7 | -112 |
| 37.8 | 1983-10-08 | 4.5 | 6 | 40.75 | -111.99 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 3 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Salt Lake City Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 31.6 | 1965-02-09 | 2 | 40°43'N / 112°06'W | 0.10 Mile | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Salt Lake | |
| 43.6 | 1999-08-11 | 2 | 40°44'N / 111°52'W | 40°44'N / 111°52'W | 4.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 1 | 80 | 170.0M | 500K | Salt Lake |
| Brief Description: Around lunch time, a tornado touched down in the southwest portions of Salt Lake City. The tornado intensified to an F2 on the Fujita scale, and moved northeast through the metropolitan area of Salt Lake City. It caused widespread damage at the Delta Center, then ripped across an outdoor retailers convention tent, where the lone fatality occurred along with many of the injuries. After blowing out many windows in the Wyndam Hotel, the tornado continued its northeast track, knocking down scaffolding and shearing off a crane at the LDS Assembly Hall construction site. Next it skirted the Capitol Building, ripping out several large trees there and in historic Memory Grove. It then moved into the residential area known as The Avenues, damaging hundreds of trees and ripping the roofs off of several homes, before finally lifting back into the clouds. All told, there was 1 fatality, 80 injured, 300 buildings and homes sustained damage, with 34 homes deemed uninhabitable. At least 500 trees were totally destroyed, with 300 more damaged. Many vehicles were damaged or totalled as well. M38OU | |||||||||||
| 46.7 | 1963-06-03 | 2 | 40°53'N / 111°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 7 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Davis | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.