Idaho Falls

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Bonneville County, the county that contains Idaho Falls.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Bonneville County, the county that contains Idaho Falls.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Bonneville County, the county that contains Idaho Falls.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Volcanoes within 100 miles

1. U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.

USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Bonneville County.

Mapped by ID GS (164), NASA (1), USGS Conterminous (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 7, 2018Hail$29.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   At least 28 reports of 1 to 2 inch hail were reported in the Ammon and Idaho Falls area and extensive damage was reported to residential and business structures. Extensive automobile damage was reported as well. Emergency management and insurance company reports estimated the damage from the large hail at $29,750,000. Approximately 2,600 structures and 1,800 vehicles sustained damage from the hail storm.

2. Apr 23, 2002High Wind, Upper Snake River Plain$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One week after a heavy snowstorm, the same area in southeastern Idaho was hit by a windstorm. The passage of a strong cold front created the winds on April 23rd. Sustained winds on the 23rd were between 40 and 50 mph with gusts reaching 60 to 70 mph throughout the afternoon covering the entire Snake River Plain from Minidoka northeast through Pocatello, Craters of the Moon, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls to Rexburg. The winds also did damage in the Upper Snake Highlands as well. 10,000 residents lost power in Blackfoot, Pocatello, and Chubbuck. The winds created poor visibility and blowing dust and closed roads. Interstate 15 was closed from Idaho Falls to Roberts. US Highway 20 was…

3. May 23, 2023Flash Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   One to 3 inches of rain fell in two hours in the Idaho Falls area resulting in extreme street flooding in downtown Idaho Falls with underpasses with several feet of water and cars submerged in water. This occurred at the 17th Street underpass. Multiple homes with severe flooding and inches of water in their basements. Extreme damage to dozens of homes. Flooding in Idaho Falls City Hall and the Mountain America Events Center during a high school graduation ceremony. Several homes in the 30 to 80 thousand dollar damage amount from their home flooding.

4. Jul 2, 2022Lightning$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A 2 story 5,000 square foot residence was struck by lightning causing a large fire. It occurred 2 miles northeast of Iona along E. Panorama Dr. A firefighter was injured in the fire. An estimated 800,000 dollars worth of damage occurred to the home.

5. Oct 14, 2017Heavy Snow, Upper Snake River Plain$625,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An early season snowfall of wet heavy snow dropped widespread reports of 6 to 8 inches of snow in Idaho Falls. Power lines, trees and tree limbs were downed due to the heavy and wet nature of the snow. Over 15,400 customers were reported without power by Idaho Falls Power by 9 am on the 14th. Several auto accidents reported. Three trees fell on cars and one tree fell on a mobile home with another through a residential window.

6. Sep 7, 2020High Wind, Arco-Mud Lake Desert$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A powerful cold front brought damaging winds to the Arco-Mud Lake Desert region. A 77 mph wind gust was measured 6 miles northwest of Atomic City with 73 mph 12 miles east of Howe. 40 to 50 mph sustained winds were recorded for several hours. Several mesonet sites also recorded 60 to 70 mph gusts during the event. A front porch roof was ripped off a residence in Monteview at around 5 pm MDT. A power pole was snapped in half 8 miles northwest of Monteview. Large tree uprooted 3 miles north of Monteview with numerous tree limbs down along Monteview Highway. Powerlines were reported downed with power out in Mud Lake. Most of this damage reported at around the 5 pm MDT hour. Several…

7. Apr 2, 2018High Wind, Upper Snake River Plain$275,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A powerful cold front moved through Idaho and caused significant damage. Wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph were common throughout the day on the 2nd especially in the afternoon. Interstate 15 was closed from exit 118 to exit 143 from Idaho Falls to Roberts due to blowing dust caused from the winds. A boat was blown off a trailer near Ririe on US Highway 26. Several trees were reported downed in Idaho Falls including one that fell on top of Holy Rosary Elementary School. Some structural damage was reported in Idaho Falls due to trees falling on homes. Damage to power lines resulted in over 2,500 customers without power reported by Rocky Mountain Power. Power poles were downed in Terreton…

8. Feb 5, 2017Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive snow melt with warmer temperatures caused extensive sheet flooding throughout the county mainly resulting in flooded fields, damaged roadways and extensive basement flooding.

9. Jan 1, 2004Blizzard, Upper Snake River Plain$220,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An incredible storm concluded a very active holiday weather week in southeast Idaho with widespread snow and wind beginning Christmas and continuing almost without interruption through New Year's Day. The Pocatello airport received 23.4 inches of total snowfall during the week. The final storm during January 1st was the highlight of the week with a widespread blizzard affecting all of southeastern Idaho from the central mountains extending east and south to the Utah and Wyoming borders. An intense pacific storm system caused the event with a strong surface low pressure moving rapidly through the Idaho panhandle late in the day. The blizzard came in two waves with very strong…

10. Feb 14, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A warehouse roof was torn off and crushed a car. Many large trees were downed, closing city streets in Idaho Falls and crushing at least one car. The vehicle's occupants narrowly escaped injury. Several large signs were destroyed. Farms were hit hard with damage to irrigation systems, outbuildings and farm implements.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

103°FJul 12, 2026

All-time low

−38°FFeb 1, 1985

Warmest night

71°FAug 8, 1983

Coldest day

−13°FJan 1, 1979

Wettest day

1.73 inMay 6, 1993

Snowiest day

9.6 inFeb 11, 1949

Hottest year

2012mean 48.0°F

Coldest year

1964mean 39.5°F

Wettest year

198015.83 in

Driest year

20025.46 in

Station Idaho Falls FAA Airport (USW00024145), 4,733 ft elevation, 2.7 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 27, 2026; 93.7% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Bonneville County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00024145.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.