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Thermopolis, Wyoming

8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Thermopolis West census division. It lies in ZIP code area 82443. It stands on Warm Springs Creek. The Survey maps it on the Thermopolis quadrangle. 2,725 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,331 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Thermopolis within Hot Springs County

On record in Thermopolis

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 8 records

Population over time

2 figures

Thermopolis fell from 3,009 to 2,725 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20103,009
20202,725-284 (-9%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

5 surveys from 8 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

72 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 72 fires within 5 miles of Thermopolis between 1992 and 2020, burning about 134 acres in total. 32 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Natural32
Missing data/not specified/undetermined21
Fireworks9
Power generation/transmission/distribution4
Debris and open burning4
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 September 2009Naturalunder an acreWorland Field OfficeSAGE VALLEY
6 September 2009Naturalunder an acreWorland Field OfficeTOWER
4 September 1995Naturalunder an acreWorland Field OfficeWILLOW DRW
11 September 2018Fireworks1.0 acresHotsprings CountyFISH
10 September 1995Naturalunder an acreWorland Field OfficeRED CANYON
9 August 2005Naturalunder an acreWorland Field OfficeBUFFALO CR
8 August 2020Naturalunder an acreWind River / Bighorn Basin DistrictCOYOTE 2
8 August 2020Naturalunder an acreWind River / Bighorn Basin DistrictCOYOTE 1

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Hot Springs County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Thermopolis: 4 past producers, 3 producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Sulfur, Bentonite, Calcium. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Brutch Sulphur DepositSulfurProducerSulfur
Lucerne MineBentoniteProducer
N-Vam Mine and MileCalciumPast Producer
Andreen PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Park PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
ShaferSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
TalovichSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Hot Springs County

Storms near this place

55 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Thermopolis in 55 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 25 hail, 18 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 3 funnel cloud. The reports record 1 death and 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2000WildfireThermopolis1 killed, 1 hurtno account filed
May 2015Flash FloodThermopolis$1,500,000Very heavy rain fell in southern Hot Springs County. This triggered numerous mud and rock slides, some tumbling several hundred feet or more to the bottom of the Wind River Canyon. State Highway 789 through the canyon was covered with mud, rock, and debris in several locations between mileposts 120 and 123. One Wyoming Department of Transportation employee was briefly trapped in his front-end loader as he tried to clear away small slides at the onset of the event. The massive amount of debris on the highway resulted in the closure of the road from Sunday afternoon, May 24, until Wednesday morning, May 27. Additional slides on the west side of the Wind River Canyon destroyed several sections of railroad track that resulted in a halt of train traffic for several days.
September 2024Tornado (EF0)Thermopolis$50,000A brief landspout tornado touched down in downtown Thermopolis, near the intersection of US Hwy 20 and WY Hwy 120. Maximum winds were estimated between 65 to 75 mph as it caused damage to sheet metal roofing and car windows.
June 2015HailEast Thermopolis$20,000Two inch diameter hail fell in the Wind River Canyon knocking out windows in vehicles traveling State Highway 789.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindThermopolis$3,000Microburst winds of 50 to 60 mph uprooted a 50-foot Cottonwood tree and blew a one-foot diameter branch about 50 feet in Hot Springs State Park. The wind was also responsible for moving a metal shed across a street near the Hot Springs County fairgrounds.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-A 63 mph wind gust was reported on Boysen Peak.
July 2025HailThermopolis-The public reported penny to quarter size hail in north end of Wind River Canyon.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-Wind gusts as high as 60 mph were reported around Thermopolis. At Hot Springs State Park, large tree branches were downed.
May 2019HailThermopolis-A trained spotter reported penny size hail in Thermopolis.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-An outflow boundary moved through Thermopolis, Wyoming and brought a 61 mph wind gust to the fire station just south of downtown Thermopolis.
July 2018HailThermopolis-Trained spotters reported up to quarter size hail around Thermopolis.
May 2018Funnel CloudEast Thermopolis-Several trained spotters reported a funnel cloud to the east-southeast of Thermopolis over the Owl Creek Range.
August 2016HailThermopolis-Hail up to the size of nickels was reported in Thermopolis. Most of the hail was pea-sized and it accumulated up to an inch deep in some places.
May 2015Flash FloodThermopolis-Heavy rain caused flooding near the town of Thermopolis. South of Thermopolis, Buffalo Creek overflowed its banks and flooded nearby low lying areas. A mobile home community experienced flooding in East Thermopolis as small creeks and streams were inundated with water.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-Several wind gusts over 58 mph were recorded at Thermopolis with a peak speed of 67 mph. The gusts were the result of weak convection and a strong pressure gradient ahead of an approaching cold front.
September 2014HailThermopolis-A long-track thunderstorm produced penny sized hail in Thermopolis.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-A thunderstorm formed over the Wind River Basin and moved north over the Owl Creek Mountains producing a 63 mph wind gust at an automated station on Boysen Peak.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-A thunderstorm formed over the Wind River Basin and moved north over the Owl Creek Mountains producing a wind gust of 62 mph at an automated station on the west side of Thermopolis.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-A strong thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 69 mph at an observation site atop Boysen Peak.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-A strong thunderstorm produced a 59 mph wind gust at an automated weather station on Boysen Peak.
July 2009HailEast Thermopolis-Quarter sized hail fell at a ranch near Buffalo Creek Road in eastern Hot Springs County.
July 2009HailThermopolis-Penny sized hail was reported west of Thermopolis near Missouri Flat Road.
July 2009HailThermopolis-Hot Springs County Dispatch and a spotter reported quarter sized hail in Thermopolis.
August 2009HailThermopolis-Hail as large as nickels fell in the town of Thermopolis.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-Large tree/power line down
August 2007HailThermopolis-no account filed
July 2006Flash FloodThermopolis-no account filed
May 2005HailThermopolis-no account filed
August 2005HailThermopolis-no account filed
July 2004HailThermopolis-no account filed
September 2002Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-no account filed
July 2001Flash FloodThermopolis-no account filed
August 2001HailThermopolis-no account filed
July 2001Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-no account filed
May 2000HailThermopolis-no account filed
July 2000WildfireThermopolis-no account filed
July 2000HailThermopolis-no account filed
August 2000WildfireThermopolis-no account filed
August 1999Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-no account filed
August 1999Flash FloodThermopolis-no account filed
August 1999Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-no account filed
August 1999Funnel CloudThermopolis-no account filed
June 1999HailThermopolis-no account filed
August 1999Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-no account filed
July 1998HailThermopolis-no account filed
July 1998HailThermopolis-no account filed
July 1998HailThermopolis-no account filed
August 1998Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-no account filed
August 1998HailThermopolis-no account filed
August 1997HailThermopolis-no account filed
June 1997Funnel CloudThermopolis-no account filed
June 1997HailThermopolis-no account filed
July 1996HailThermopolis-no account filed
July 1996Thunderstorm WindThermopolis-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Hot Springs County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
East Thermopolis0.7 miles8
Red Lane2.3 miles8
Minnesela4.2 miles8
Lucerne6.4 miles8
Kirby11.0 miles10
Nickelson Place11.3 miles8
Owl Creek21.0 miles12
Hamilton Dome21.2 miles12

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on ThermopolisAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1020393The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1597651. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.