Idaho winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 44 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,944 winter storm records in Idaho from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 173 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the December 24, 2014 winter storm in Bannock County and 2 more: 2 deaths, 8 injuries and $19,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Idaho ranks 27th of 51 states and territories by count and 34th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Idaho, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm 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
- 4,9441996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 173average
- Deaths
- 45104 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $148Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2019394 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 winter storm records common in Idaho?
Idaho averages about 173 winter storm records a year since 2000, 27th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2019 (394). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Idaho records 598 winter storm records since 1996, 34th of 50 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 winter storm records?
Per square mile, Madison County leads Idaho: 325 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 692.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Kootenai County has the most winter storm records (1,262 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 winter storm season in Idaho?
50% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The busiest month is December (1,339 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,123 · Feb 1,058 · Mar 476 · Apr 161 · May 42 · Jun 23 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 23 · Oct 139 · Nov 560 · Dec 1,339 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Idaho?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-12-24 | Winter StormBannock County and 2 more · forecast zone Lower Snake River Plain A powerful winter storm dropped 6 to 8 inches of snow in the cities of Chubbuck and Pocatello with 8 to 10 inches on the Pocatello east and west benches. A fatal traffic accident occurred on interstate 15 in south Pocatello in which a mother and her daughter died with injuries to 5 other children in the vehicle. The ... | 2 | 8 | $19K | |
| 2014-12-01 | Winter WeatherGooding County and 2 more · forecast zone Western Magic Valley Two fatalities occurred in Jerome County in two separate incidents in the early morning due to snow covered roads. The first accident occurred at 5:37 AM on Interstate 84 near mile marker 179 when the vehicle slid into the median and rolled over. The second occurred at 6:06 AM on Interstate 84 near mile marker 170. ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-02-02 | Winter WeatherBenewah County and Latah County · forecast zone Idaho Palouse Snowfall amounts ranged from two to four inches leading to delays and disruptions during the Monday morning commute. Two children died Sunday, February 2nd after falling through ice covering a pond near Plummer. The children were looking for their dog and it is unknown if the children were unaware of the pond which ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-01-15 | Heavy SnowBenewah County and 3 more · forecast zone Central Panhandle Mountains A large, and rather moist storm system moved up from the southwest from the tropics. This storm system dropped heavy snow to northern and central Idaho before raising snow levels to over 7000 feet by the evening of the 18th. Across the Northern Panhandle, 6 inches was reported by a spotter at Bonners Ferry while just ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2004-11-27 | Heavy SnowBingham County and 4 more · forecast zone Upper Snake River Plain Widespread snow of generally between 2 and 5 inches fell in the Snake River Plain in the first significant snowfall of the season. One fatal accident occurred around 12 pm near American Falls on interstate 86 when a truck crossed from the west bound lane into the east bound lane killing an elderly couple. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-04-15 | Heavy SnowBlaine County and 3 more · forecast zone Eastern Magic Valley One day after thunderstorm winds caused extensive damage in southeast Idaho, a mid-April snowstorm dumped heavy wet snow over the same region. It was the heaviest snow of the season in the Snake River Plain. It ranked as the 8th greatest 24 hour snowfall ever at the Pocatello airport and 3rd greatest April snowfall ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-02-07 | Winter StormBannock County and 2 more · forecast zone Lower Snake River Plain A strong frontal system brought a variety of winter weather to all of southeastern Idaho including heavy snow and strong winds. The storm produced some heavy snowfall in the mountains with 6 to 12 inches reported by SNOTEL sites. Some other amounts were 8 inches at Pomerelle ski resort, 7 inches in Stanley, 7 inches ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-11-28 | Winter StormBingham County and 4 more · forecast zone Upper Snake River Plain One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A late November snow storm created extensive travel problems in the Snake River Plain and Upper Snake Highlands. 4 to 12 inches of snow was reported in the Upper Snake Highlands and 2 to 4 inches of snow fell in the Snake River Plain resulting in extensive travel problems including one fatality near Rexburg. | 1 | 7 | $55K | |
| 2009-12-14 | Winter WeatherKootenai County · forecast zone Coeur D'alene Area A strong warm front brought heavy snow to portions of North Idaho. Behind the warm front, shallow cold air remained in the valleys which resulted in a mixed bag of snow, freezing rain, and freezing drizzle with minor ice accumulations reported. Icy roadways near Post Falls contributed to a fatal pileup on Interstate ... | 1 | 6 | – | |
| 2012-11-12 | Winter WeatherBonner County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Panhandle Slick road conditions due to compact snow and ice resulted in a car accident involving two vehicles on Highway 41 at the intersection of Highway 54 in Spirit Lake. One vehicle was traveling northbound along Highway 41 when the driver lost control of the vehicle and spun into an oncoming vehicle traveling southbound. ... | 1 | 2 | – |
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 winter storm records in Idaho
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-18 | Heavy SnowCanyon County and 4 more · forecast zone Lower Treasure Valley | 0 | 0 | $120M | |
| 1996-11-16 | Heavy SnowKootenai County · forecast zone Coeur D'alene Area | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 2008-02-08 | Heavy SnowClearwater County and Idaho County · forecast zone Orofino / Grangeville Region | 0 | 0 | $10M | |
| 2017-10-14 | Heavy SnowBingham County and 4 more · forecast zone Upper Snake River Plain | 0 | 0 | $752K | |
| 2024-01-11 | Winter WeatherKootenai County · forecast zone Coeur D'alene Area | 0 | 0 | $564K | |
| 1999-04-08 | BlizzardBlaine County and 3 more · forecast zone Eastern Magic Valley | 0 | 0 | $407K | |
| 1999-12-18 | Winter StormBonner County and 2 more · forecast zone Boundary/Bonner/ X Nw Kootenai | 0 | 6 | $354K | |
| 2004-01-01 | BlizzardBingham County and 4 more · forecast zone Upper Snake River Plain | 0 | 1 | $344K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm 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.
| Decade | Idaho | United States | Idaho's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 400 | 32,893 | 1.2% |
| 2000s | 1,525 | 88,805 | 1.7% |
| 2010s | 1,802 | 103,626 | 1.7% |
| 2020-26 | 1,217 | 62,015 | 2.0% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Idaho
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-07 | Winter WeatherIdaho County · forecast zone Southern Clearwater Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Winter WeatherLemhi County · forecast zone Eastern Lemhi County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-16 | Winter WeatherIdaho County · forecast zone Southern Clearwater Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-23 | Winter WeatherIdaho County · forecast zone Southern Clearwater Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-16 | Heavy SnowCassia County · forecast zone Southern Hills-Albion Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-16 | Heavy SnowBingham County and 2 more · forecast zone Blackfoot Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-16 | Winter WeatherClark County and 2 more · forecast zone Centennial Mountains-Island Park | 0 | 3 | $10K | |
| 2026-04-02 | Winter WeatherIdaho County · forecast zone Southern Clearwater Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | Heavy SnowKootenai County · forecast zone Coeur D'alene Area | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | Heavy SnowBenewah County and 3 more · forecast zone Central Panhandle Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | Heavy SnowBonner County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Panhandle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-11 | Winter StormIdaho County · forecast zone Southern Clearwater Mountains | 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 winter storm records in Idaho
FEMA has declared 5 disasters in Idaho for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 5 were major disasters, the latest on April 21, 2017.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-21 | DR-4310 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 11 |
| 2016-02-01 | DR-4252 | Severe Winter Storms | 3 |
| 1997-06-13 | DR-1177 | Severe Storms, Snowmelt, Land/Mud Slides, Flooding | 12 |
| 1984-02-16 | DR-697 | Ice Jams and Flooding | 1 |
| 1974-01-25 | DR-415 | Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding | 9 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Madison County: the county's whole recordThe Idaho county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IdahoTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Idaho2,672 records
- Hail in Idaho1,113 records
- High wind and dust storms in Idaho931 records