NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit American Fork, UT
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of American Fork, Utah since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 17
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for American Fork
The strongest of the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on August 11, 1999; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 17, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. August and September have had the most tornadoes, 4 each. The most recent tornado was on September 7, 2013. American Fork has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 99 Utah cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1984, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). American Fork has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 99 Utah cities.
Compare American Fork's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of American Fork
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s3
- 1990s5
- 1980s4
- 1970s2
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 1999 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.3 mi | 1 / 80 |
| Jul 8, 1989 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 1989 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 2, 1970 | F1 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 17, 1966 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1965 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 2013 | EF0 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2005 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2003 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2001 | F0 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1998 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1998 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in American Fork
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of American Fork since 1984, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 13, 2024. The most recent report is from August 13, 2024. August has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in American Fork
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pleasant Grove, UT, 4 miles southeast of American Fork at 4,692 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 24°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 55 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. Snowfall averages 41.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 16.7 inches is more than at 30 of the 58 Utah stations used on this site (52%). Alpine, 5 miles north, has its own station (Alpine, UT): 21.0 inches a year, 4.3 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 | 11.5 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 | 1.6 | 5 | 8.3 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 1.6 | 5 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 2.0 | 5 | 2.8 |
| May | 75 | 48 | 2.0 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 85 | 56 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 64 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 62 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 53 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 42 | 1.4 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 1.2 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 1.5 | 4 | 10.3 |
| Year | 67 | 42 | 16.7 | 46 | 41.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pleasant Grove, UT (4,692 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near American Fork
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 70 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of American Fork: 54 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $17.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on July 1, 2025. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 90 Utah cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 72 have had fewer than American Fork.
August 30, 2015: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of American Fork — 1 killed.
NWS: “A family was having a picnic in a park in Lehi, Utah, when a thunderstorm moved across the area. Lightning struck a nearby tree, and critically injured a 50-year-old woman.”
August 21, 2021: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of American Fork — 1 injured, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “A 60-foot-tall pine tree fell on 2 people, injuring 1.”
June 21, 2005: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of American Fork — 1 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Utah County, which includes American Fork, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1983, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Flooding, on December 23, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Utah County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $287.9 million a year, the 2nd highest of 29 Utah counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $63.9 million (22%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.