Idaho lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 22 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 76 lightning records in Idaho from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 1.8 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 7, 2002 lightning in Canyon County: 1 death and 2 injuries. Idaho ranks 43rd of 52 states and territories by count and 45th of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in Idaho, 1996 to 2026

Lightning 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: 761996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 1.8average
Deaths: 418 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $3.6Mas filed
Busiest year: 199610 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 lightning records common in Idaho?

Idaho averages about 1.8 lightning records a year since 2000, 43rd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (10). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Idaho records 9.2 lightning records since 1996, 45th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

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 lightning records?

Per square mile, Bannock County leads Idaho: 11 days with a lightning record since 1996, 9.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Bannock County has the most lightning records (12 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).

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 lightning season in Idaho?

55% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (25 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 4 · May 7 · Jun 16 · Jul 25 · Aug 17 · Sep 6 · Oct 1 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

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

What were the deadliest lightning records in Idaho?

Idaho: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2002-07-07	LightningCaldwell, Canyon County One man was killed instantly when struck by lightning while moving an aluminum irrigation pipe on an alfalfa farm near Sunnyslope. A second man, standing about four feet away, received serious burns to the head and shoulder.	1	2	–
1996-07-17	LightningBurley, Cassia County At approximately 3:30 pm MDT, a farm worker was struck and killed by lightning while hoeing beets. His wife was approximately 3 feet from him at the time and was shocked but not seriously injured.	1	1	–
2010-08-10	LightningCarmen, Lemhi County A 37 year old man riding a horse was struck by lightning and killed.	1	0	–
1997-06-30	LightningMelba, Canyon County A farm worker was struck and killed by lightning while working on an irrigation pipe in a farm field during a thunderstorm.	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.

The costliest lightning records in Idaho

Idaho: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Injured	Damage
1997-06-17	LightningPocatello, Bannock County	0	$1.8M
2022-07-02	LightningIona, Bonneville County	1	$807K
2000-09-17	LightningChesterfield, Caribou County	0	$257K
2013-08-10	LightningBelmont, Kootenai County	0	$253K
2025-06-11	LightningArco, Butte County	0	$7K
2026-06-25	LightningHailey, Blaine County	0	$6K
2025-07-03	LightningPlano, Madison County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's.	0	$200
2025-07-01	LightningMacks Inn, Fremont County	1	$100

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are lightning 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.

Lightning: Idaho and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Idaho	United States	Idaho's share
1996-99	31	3,521	0.88%
2000s	13	8,052	0.16%
2010s	17	5,103	0.33%
2020-26	15	1,544	0.97%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in Idaho

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2026-06-25	LightningHailey, Blaine County	0	0	$6K
2025-07-03	LightningUcon, Bonneville County	0	0	$100
2025-07-03	LightningPlano, Madison County	0	0	$100
2025-07-01	LightningMacks Inn, Fremont County	0	1	$100
2025-06-11	LightningArco, Butte County	0	0	$7K
2022-07-02	LightningIona, Bonneville County	0	1	$807K
2021-07-28	LightningIdaho Falls, Bonneville County	0	1	–
2013-08-10	LightningBelmont, Kootenai County	0	0	$253K
2013-06-29	LightningSagle, Bonner County	0	2	–
2010-08-10	LightningCarmen, Lemhi County	1	0	–
2003-08-22	LightningWhitney, Franklin County	0	1	–
2002-08-30	LightningOldtown, Bonner County	0	2	–

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.