Natural hazards · Vernal

Vernal, UT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Vernal comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2014.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Vernal?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Vernal to be higher than in 2% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding42%Earthquakes38%Lightning9%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Vernal faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

42% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 2% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Earthquakes

38% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Lightning

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Vernal flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vernal, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 2014

$3Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20142026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Vernal isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Uintah County.

Disasters that hit Vernal

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Uintah County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Vernal itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into VernalDeclared for Uintah County only

Uintah County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and fires.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Vernal covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Vernal’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Vernal. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Vernal total about $487K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.