Valley County, Idaho
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 16085 · population 11,617 · 3,665 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 231 records for Valley County, Idaho from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 199 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (141 records). 158 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the October 29, 2009 winter weather, filed for the forecast zone West Central Mountains, which covers the county: 1 death and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 12 declarations naming the county since 1997, 10 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Four Corners Fire” on August 19, 2022.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 231on 199 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 28 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.3Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 12latest 2022
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Valley County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 141 since 1996. 58% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The rank column places the county among Idaho's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 141 | 131 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 1 | – | 40 of 44 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 37 | 29 | 1962-2026 | 0 | 5 | $832K | 39 of 44 |
| Hail | 15 | 13 | 1992-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 41 of 44 |
| Floods | 14 | 12 | 1996-2019 | 0 | 0 | $498K | 42 of 44 |
| Heavy rain | 8 | 4 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 of 44 |
| High wind and dust storms | 7 | 6 | 1997-2022 | 0 | 0 | $13K | 44 of 44 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 4 | 2001-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 of 44 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 1 | 2022-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 40 of 44 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 2 | 2 | 2009-2014 | 1 | 0 | – | 32 of 44 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 1998-1998 | 0 | 2 | – | 22 of 44 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
When was the last damaging storm in Valley County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 17, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($200,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-25 | Thunderstorm WindLake Fork, Valley County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-25 | Thunderstorm WindBelvidere, Valley County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-12-17 | Thunderstorm WindMc Call, Valley County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $200K |
| 2025-12-17 | Thunderstorm WindYellow Pine Airport, Valley County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-12-17 | Thunderstorm WindDonnelly, Valley County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-12-17 | Thunderstorm WindMc Call, Valley County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-12-17 | Thunderstorm WindMcCall Airport, Valley County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-06 | Winter WeatherAdams County and 3 more · forecast zone West Central Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-02 | Winter StormAdams County and 3 more · forecast zone West Central Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-08-19 | Thunderstorm WindLardo, Valley County | 39 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $504K |
| 2019-04-07 | FloodMcCall Airport, Valley County | 0 | 0 | $485K | |
| 2012-06-04 | Thunderstorm WindCascade, Valley County | 66 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10-29 | Winter WeatherAdams County and 2 more · forecast zone West Central Mountains KTVB in Boise, Idaho reported a fatality on U.S. Highway 95 , north of New Meadows. According to Idaho State Police, the automobile accident was caused by freezing rain and ice on the roadway. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2009-12-17 | AvalancheAdams County and 2 more · forecast zone West Central Mountains Idaho Mountain Express reported that a young man died in an avalanche while snowmobiling at Rock Lake in the French Creek drainage outside of Cascade, Idaho. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1988-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindValley County | 0 | 5 | – | |
| 1998-07-03 | LightningCascade, Valley County On the evening of July 3rd two men were struck by lightning while fishing in a boat on Deadwood Reservoir. The men, ages 32 and 44 were flown to a hospital in Boise. Both men survived and were released from the hospital by the next day. | 0 | 2 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-08-19 | Thunderstorm WindLardo, Valley County | 39 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $504K |
| 2019-04-07 | FloodMcCall Airport, Valley County | 0 | 0 | $485K | |
| 2025-12-17 | Thunderstorm WindMc Call, Valley County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $200K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Valley County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 33 | 65 | 15 | 28 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 13 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
58% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 36 · Feb 26 · Mar 16 · Apr 13 · May 10 · Jun 15 · Jul 11 · Aug 11 · Sep 6 · Oct 4 · Nov 24 · Dec 59 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Valley County
FEMA's register lists 12 declarations that include Valley County: 6 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 4 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (5) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-08-19 | FM-5449 | Fire | Four Corners Fire |
| 2020-04-09 | DR-4534 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3467 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-06-12 | DR-4443 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2017-05-18 | DR-4313 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2010-08-26 | FM-2853 | Fire | Hurd Fire |
| 2010-07-27 | DR-1927 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2007-08-30 | FM-2725 | Fire | East Zone Fire Complex |
| 2007-08-30 | FM-2726 | Fire | Cascade Fire Complex |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3244 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2000-09-01 | DR-1341 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 1997-01-04 | DR-1154 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Landslides |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Valley County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 14 flood or flash flood records for Valley County from 1996 to 2019, on 12 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Valley County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $0 on 1 claim filed in Valley County; the most in one year was 1 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1997: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Valley County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Valley County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $19.6 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $9.1M | once in about 93 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | $214K | 4.3 a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | $913K | once in about 15 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $676K | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $92K | 20 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $8.3M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $102K | 25 a year (modeled) |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | $1 | once in about 5,000 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Valley County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Winter storms in IdahoThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Idaho recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Valley CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Valley County's FEMA declarations (CSV)12 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis