Pocatello

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 Bannock County, the county that contains Pocatello.

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 Bannock County, the county that contains Pocatello.

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 Bannock County, the county that contains Pocatello.

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 Bannock County.

Mapped by ID GS (28), NASA (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. Aug 12, 1997Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hail from quarter to golfball-size occurred from Yellowstone Ave near Alameda to the lower Pocatello Creek area. Numerous vehicles (500+) and roofs(200+) in the area were damaged by hail. Specific hail reports within this area include: 1.75 inch hail 15th and Oak Street, 1.75 inch hail Maple Street and Yellowstone Ave, 1.5 inch hail near Poplar Street and Interstate 15, 1.25 inch hail at Channel 6 studio, 1.0 inch hail lower Pocatello Creek, and 1.0 inch hail Monte Vista.

2. Jun 17, 1997Lightning$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck the new LDS Institute on the ISU campus. The fire which resulted caused the roof to collapse and set back construction 3 months.

3. Jun 26, 2009Flash Flood$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding caused by as much a 2 inches of rain in a 2 hour period caused extensive flooding in the south portion of Pocatello. By 1:15 pm EDT 10th Street and Carter Avenue were completely flooded and not passable. The Juniper Hills and Riverside golf courses south of the city were completely underwater. South 5th Avenue was closed due to the water on the street. US 91 was closed from the South 5th exit to the Portneuf exit. 43 homes and several businesses were reported flooded. Water up to hoods of cars were reported on Bannock Highway near Riverside Golf Course. Water submerged cars in the Gables assisted living center on South Grant Avenue. Roads were closed throughout the…

4. Sep 3, 2013Flash Flood$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   One to two inches of rain was reported by spotters in Chubbuck and east areas of Pocatello. Doppler radar indicated 4 to 5 inches over a localized area of Old Town and west Pocatello. Several homes and businesses were flooded with some evacuations ordered. Roads closed in the city were Hiline Road to Griffith Road; Hiline Road to El Rancho Boulevard; the Center Street underpass; Pocatello Avenue; Oak Street westbound to Yellowstone Avenue; the intersection of Pole Line Road and Fir Street; the North Main extension at Praxair; and Garrett Way at the railroad tracks. Hawthorne Road near Interstate 86 was closed in Chubbuck. Raymond Park in Pocatello was under water. 2 to 3 feet of…

5. Dec 17, 2025High Wind, Lower Snake River Plain$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An extremely powerful Pacific cold front caused severe damage throughout the lower Snake River Plain. Wind gusts recorded were 76 mph 2 miles northeast of Pingree, 75 mph 2 miles north of Neely, 74 mph in Aberdeen, 72 mph in Fort Hall, 61 mph in Chubbuck, 64 mph at the Pocatello Regional Airport ASOS, 59 mph at Blackfoot and Taber, and 64 mph near Sterling. ||Some of the damage reports received were: Several large trees downed in Aberdeen. Aberdeen was the focal point of much damage including over 150 power poles snapped off or downed with irrigation wheel damage. In the American Falls area 21 mature trees downed along Fairview Road and North Pleasant Valley Road. 20 power poles…

6. Jul 18, 2004Flash Flood$535,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extremely heavy rain...approximately 2 inches fell in 45 minutes from 3 to 4 pm MDT in Pocatello and caused extensive flooding especially along the east benches. The Center Street underpass had a foot of water covering it. Flooding reported at Kirkwood Meadows apartments on Pocatello Creek Road. Flooding on Arthur Street in downtown Pocatello. Mudslide reported near Sagewood Heights along Center Street near Idaho State University. Major flooding reported at intersection of Oak and Yellowstone Streets.

7. Jul 21, 2003Wildfire$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   4500 acre Harkness wildfire started started by a transient's campfire. Several buildings destroyed by fire including 2 homes and 8 additional barns or outbuildings and several vehicles and farm equipment also destroyed. Entire Harkness Canyon area evacuated. 1900 homes in Arimo, Lava Hot Springs, Lund and McCammon lost power. US route 30 from McCammon to Lava Hot Springs was closed as fire as fire burned along the route during afternoon and evening of July 21st.

8. Aug 23, 2013Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain with 2 to 4 inch amounts in the Chubbuck and Pocatello area caused extensive street, business and home flooding on August 23rd. The Center Street underpass was closed. Pocatello Avenue, Seventh Street, North Main and Highway 30 at the railroad bridge, Gold Street overpass, Cedar Street, Pole Line Road, Eldredge Road were closed in Pocatello. The Interstate 86 underpass on Hawthorne Road in Chubbuck was closed. The heavy rain began at around 2 pm with the flooding continuing until about 7 pm in the two cities.

9. Jul 4, 2009Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Over one inch of rain in less than one hour near Inkom and the runoff caused the Rapid Creek and Portneuf River to exceed their banks. Extensive flooding occurred throughout the city of Inkom. About 30 homes and businesses flooded with as much as 5 to 12 inches of standing water in them. Jackson Creek Road was washed out. Bannock County was declared a disaster area by 3 pm MDT on July 4th.

10. Feb 5, 2017Flood$450,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A lot of field flooding occurred in the county as well as a house on Andrew Street in Pocatello on the 8th. Wallin Road closed on the 10th in Chubbuck due to water on the road. The Marsh Creek area had flooding as well. The Portneuf River in Pocatello reached flood stage on the 11th with flooding in Sacajawea Park. The warmup also revealed extreme damage to roads from the harsh winter as well.

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

104°F4 times, most recently Jul 31, 2020

All-time low

−33°FFeb 1, 1985

Warmest night

76°FJul 16, 1951

Coldest day

−9°F2 times, most recently Dec 22, 1990

Wettest day

1.68 inOct 2, 1976

Snowiest day

13.0 inDec 26, 2003

Hottest year

1940mean 49.8°F

Coldest year

1985mean 42.3°F

Wettest year

198320.33 in

Driest year

19665.34 in

Snowiest season

93.3 in1992-93

Station Pocatello Regional Airport (USW00024156), 4,451 ft elevation, 6.5 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1939 to October 27, 2026; 100.0% 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 Bannock 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 USW00024156.
• 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.