PlainHazard

Idaho extreme cold

Every recorded extreme cold record since 1996 · 41 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 189 extreme cold records in Idaho from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 7.8 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the October 26, 2013 frost/freeze in Idaho County: 1 death and 1 injury. Idaho ranks 41st of 51 states and territories by count and 45th of 50 per square mile.

Extreme cold in Idaho, 1996 to 2026

Cold records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
1891996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
7.8average
Deaths
41 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$91Kas filed
Busiest year
202320 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are extreme cold records common in Idaho?

Idaho averages about 7.8 extreme cold records a year since 2000, 41st of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (20). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Idaho records 23 extreme cold records since 1996, 45th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Maryland 1039
  2. 2. New Jersey 901
  3. 3. West Virginia 808
  4. 4. Vermont 703
  5. 5. New York 602
  6. 6. Kentucky 578
  7. 7. Delaware 565
  8. 8. Minnesota 532
  9. 9. Iowa 492
  10. 10. Illinois 483
  11. 45. Idaho 23

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Idaho have the most extreme cold records?

Per square mile, Madison County leads Idaho: 27 days with a extreme cold record since 1996, 57.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Bingham County has the most cold records (54 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Madison County 57.5 (46)
  2. Teton County 44.5 (22)
  3. Jefferson County 21.9 (28)
  4. Bannock County 19.8 (30)
  5. Bingham County 14.3 (54)
  6. Bonneville County 13.9 (41)
  7. Power County 13.5 (28)
  8. Fremont County 12.3 (28)
  9. Clark County 11.3 (22)
  10. Butte County 10.3 (39)
  11. Minidoka County 9.2 (8)
  12. Kootenai County 7.3 (17)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the cold season in Idaho?

53% of its extreme cold records since 1996 fell in December and January. The busiest month is January (60 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 60 · Feb 39 · Mar 1 · Apr 5 · May 17 · Jun 3 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 8 · Oct 6 · Nov 9 · Dec 41 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest extreme cold records in Idaho?

Idaho: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2013-10-26 Frost/FreezeIdaho County · forecast zone Southern Clearwater Mountains A 41 year old man heading west on U.S. Highway 12, lost control as he crossed an icy bridge deck over Lolo Creek near mile-marker 7 and shortly died thereafter. Another vehicle heading eastbound had to swerve into a ditch attempting to avoid a collision but still was side-swiped by the bike. 1 1 –
2022-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBannock County and 2 more · forecast zone Lower Snake River Plain A 45 year old man was found dead near the WinCo grocery store on January 24th on the 1000 block of Yellowstone. Temperatures were in the teens and it is believed extended exposure to cold temperatures contributed to his death. 1 0 –
2021-12-25 Cold/Wind ChillBonneville County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper Snake River Plain A 30 year old man was found dead in a field near Parker Idaho. The cause was believed to be extended exposure to cold air. At the time of death wind chill temperatures were in the teens. 1 0 –
2020-10-23 Cold/Wind ChillBannock County and 2 more · forecast zone Lower Snake River Plain On the morning of October 23rd, the city of Pocatello experienced record cold morning for the date. Officially, there was a record low of 16 degrees at the office and airport. In town (and the part of Pocatello), temperatures dropped to between 20-25 degrees. Police responded around 9am to a report of a dead person. ... 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are extreme cold records becoming more frequent in Idaho?

Idaho's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Extreme cold: Idaho and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeIdahoUnited StatesIdaho's share
1996-9945,5390.07%
2000s5814,7920.39%
2010s6018,1620.33%
2020-266715,3290.44%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent extreme cold records in Idaho

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-18 Frost/FreezeClearwater County and Idaho County · forecast zone Orofino / Grangeville Region 0 0 –
2026-05-18 Frost/FreezeClearwater County · forecast zone Northern Clearwater Mountains 0 0 –
2026-04-25 Frost/FreezeClearwater County · forecast zone Northern Clearwater Mountains 0 0 –
2026-04-25 Frost/FreezeIdaho County · forecast zone Southern Clearwater Mountains 0 0 –
2026-04-25 Frost/FreezeLemhi County · forecast zone Eastern Lemhi County 0 0 –
2025-09-22 Frost/FreezeIdaho County · forecast zone Southern Clearwater Mountains 0 0 –
2025-01-27 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBonneville County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper Snake River Plain 0 0 –
2025-01-27 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBingham County and 3 more · forecast zone Arco-Mud Lake Desert 0 0 –
2025-01-20 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBannock County and 3 more · forecast zone Marsh And Arbon Highlands 0 0 –
2025-01-20 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBlaine County and 3 more · forecast zone Eastern Magic Valley 0 0 –
2025-01-20 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillFranklin County and Oneida County · forecast zone Franklin-Eastern Oneida Region 0 0 –
2025-01-20 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBlaine County and 2 more · forecast zone Shoshone-Lava Beds 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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