Natural disaster risk in Sanpete County, Utah
Utah · population 28,408 · FIPS 49039
Overall: very low risk
Sanpete County has a composite risk score of 38.6 out of 100 — higher than 38% of US counties. It ranks 12 of 29 in Utah (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are avalanche, wildfire, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, at least 54 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 80.42% of Sanpete County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Sanpete County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Very low 38.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $12.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 42.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 38 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 52.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Sanpete County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very high 95 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 83 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 79 |
| Drought | Relatively low 56 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 45 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 48 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 24 |
| Ice storm | Very low 12 |
| Tornado | Very low 12 |
| Strong wind | Very low 11 |
| Hail | Very low 3 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Cold wave | No rating |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Sanpete County
Federal declarations that designated Sanpete County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Sanpete County.
All FEMA declarations in Utah, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Sanpete County, Utah?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Sanpete County as very low, with a score of 38.6 out of 100 (higher than 38% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Sanpete County?
The hazards rated highest for Sanpete County are avalanche (very high), wildfire (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Sanpete County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Sanpete County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Sanpete County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Sanpete County.
Is Sanpete County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 80.42% of Sanpete County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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