Idaho severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 44 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,672 severe thunderstorm wind events in Idaho from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 70 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 1, 2015 thunderstorm wind in Bear Lake County: 4 deaths, 3 injuries and $3,735 in damage in 2025 dollars across 2 records. Idaho ranks 37th of 52 states and territories by count and 42nd of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Idaho, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 2,6721955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 70average
- Deaths
- 19184 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $33Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2024261 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Idaho?
Idaho averages about 70 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 37th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (261). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Idaho records 323 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 42nd of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Canyon County leads Idaho: 56 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 95.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Butte County has the most thunderstorm wind records (221 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Idaho?
43% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (611 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 23 · Feb 17 · Mar 78 · Apr 181 · May 457 · Jun 468 · Jul 611 · Aug 542 · Sep 165 · Oct 57 · Nov 9 · Dec 64 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Idaho?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-06-01 | Thunderstorm WindSt Charles, Bear Lake County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Much of southeast Idaho received severe thunderstorm winds and large hail on June 1st including a boating accident on Bear Lake with 4 fatalities from the severe thunderstorm winds capsizing a boat. | 61 kt wind | 4 | 3 | $4K |
| 2021-05-01 | Thunderstorm WindMountain Home A, Elmore County The AWOS at Mountain Home AFB measured a 58 MPH wind gust with several reports of damage received by the public. A dust storm from the gust front of a nearby thunderstorm reduced visibility to near zero, resulting in a 7 car accident with 3 fatalities. Idaho State Police officials reported the accident was on Highway ... | 50 kt wind | 3 | 5 | – |
| 1986-04-22 | Thunderstorm WindFremont County | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 1988-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindCassia County | 2 | 10 | – | |
| 1992-07-08 | Thunderstorm WindIdaho County | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-08-21 | Thunderstorm WindIdaho City, Boise County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A dry cold front moving across Eastern Oregon and Idaho set off a series of mainly dry thunderstorms generating severe outflow winds in the Treasure Valley, including Boise, and the Snake River plain throughout the evening of the 21st. | 61 kt wind | 1 | 70 | – |
| 1989-08-12 | Thunderstorm WindShoshone County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 2011-08-20 | Thunderstorm WindIdaho Falls, Bonneville County Early on August 21st a thunderstorm caused trees to into a house on Pioneer Road in Idaho Falls killing an 82 year old man in his bedroom. Trees were also downed on East Lincoln Road. | 56 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| 2024-09-25 | Thunderstorm WindSandpoint, Bonner County Tree fell on 17 year old male in backyard of home. Several reports of trees downed and tops snapped in the Sandpoint, Dover areas. There was a report of shingles being blown off roof. The BMX track was damaged by downed trees. Wind gusts estimated to be around 65 MPH. | 56 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $9K |
| 2020-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindHope, Bonner County The broadcast media reported that a 21 foot boat with 10 people capsized on Lake Pend Oreille with 1 fatality. There were high waves due to a passing thunderstorm with an estimated 30 mph wind gusts. | 26 kt wind | 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 severe thunderstorm wind events in Idaho
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-02-14 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Bingham County One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 74 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $4.8M |
| 2014-08-02 | Thunderstorm WindOutlet Bay, Bonner County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.5M |
| 2014-07-23 | Thunderstorm WindLakeview, Bonner County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
| 1995-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindPayette County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 1993-03-17 | Thunderstorm WindKimberly, Twin Falls County | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 1994-10-20 | Thunderstorm WindKootenai County | 0 | 0 | $995K | |
| 1994-05-06 | Thunderstorm WindTwin Falls County | 0 | 0 | $995K | |
| 1995-07-06 | Thunderstorm WindSilver Valley, Shoshone County | 0 | 0 | $968K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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.
| Decade | Idaho | United States | Idaho's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 31 | 3,482 | 0.89% |
| 1960s | 49 | 10,124 | 0.48% |
| 1970s | 96 | 18,714 | 0.51% |
| 1980s | 205 | 39,604 | 0.52% |
| 1990s | 323 | 85,554 | 0.38% |
| 2000s | 489 | 129,990 | 0.38% |
| 2010s | 507 | 161,286 | 0.31% |
| 2020-26 | 972 | 126,815 | 0.77% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Idaho
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindMink Creek, Franklin County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindPleasant View, Oneida County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindArco, Butte County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindArco, Butte County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-29 | Thunderstorm WindIona, Bonneville County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $200 |
| 2026-05-29 | Thunderstorm WindChallis Airport, Custer County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-28 | Thunderstorm WindGolden, Idaho County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-05-28 | Thunderstorm WindKuna, Ada County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-28 | Thunderstorm WindMarsing, Owyhee County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-28 | Thunderstorm WindGowen Field Boise, Ada County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-28 | Thunderstorm WindBoise Terminal Airport, Ada County | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-28 | Thunderstorm WindKuna, Ada County | 63 kt wind | 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.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Idaho
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 9 declarations in Idaho, 9 of them major disasters; the latest on June 30, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | DR-4917 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 6 |
| 2021-03-04 | DR-4589 | Straight-Line Winds | 4 |
| 2016-02-01 | DR-4252 | Severe Winter Storms | 3 |
| 2015-12-23 | DR-4246 | Severe Storm and Straight-Line Wind | 5 |
| 2010-07-27 | DR-1927 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 7 |
| 2006-02-27 | DR-1630 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 1997-06-13 | DR-1177 | Severe Storms, Snowmelt, Land/Mud Slides, Flooding | 12 |
| 1997-01-04 | DR-1154 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Landslides | 18 |
| 1996-02-11 | DR-1102 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 10 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Canyon County: the county's whole recordThe Idaho county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IdahoTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Idaho4,944 records
- Hail in Idaho1,113 records
- High wind and dust storms in Idaho931 records