Cedar City Railroad Depot · Photo: JunesongPRVSN · CC BY-SA 4.0Cedar City’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cedar City gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #52 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (42%), then wildfire (41%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1992.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Cedar City’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Cedar City faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Cedar City’s grade
River and rain flooding is 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cedar City, and Cedar City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 41%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #52 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cedar City’s residents live in 11 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Utah town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cedar City has less expected damage per building than 57% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $13.6M a year in losses across Cedar City: $11.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cedar City flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cedar City, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cedar City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Iron County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Cedar City
Disasters that paid out in Cedar City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Cedar City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Flooding and Landslides$137K to the City of Cedar City for repairs
Iron County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Iron County, 2017–2017.
Old photos of Cedar City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cedar City archive →Cedar City and its neighbors
Cedar City has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar City | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Enoch | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Cedar City faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Cedar City
Is Cedar City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cedar City has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #52 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (42%) and wildfire (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cedar City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Cedar City since 1992, $32K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cedar City in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Iron County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Cedar City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cedar City’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Cedar City?
By FEMA money that reached Cedar City, Flooding and Landslides (2005): $137K to the City of Cedar City for repairs.
Is Cedar City at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Cedar City’s rate for it is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cedar City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cedar City’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.