Adams County

Population 5,013 (2025) 1,363 sq mi

Large wildfires have burned 231,102 acres of Adams County since 1984, 19th most of 44 counties in Idaho; the largest was the Lava Fire in 2024.

Hazard fingerprint for Adams County Tornado: 6th percentile. Tropical: 0th percentile. Wildfire: 91th percentile. Flood: 9th percentile. Hail & wind: 2th percentile. Heat: 0th percentile. Cold: 9th percentile. Winter: 81th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths since 19503
  • Wildfire burn scars since 198424

At a glance

The record for Adams County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Acres burned since 1984

231,102

19th of 44 in Idaho

24 large fires; the largest was Lava, 2024

Details

Flood insurance claims

4

26th of 44 in Idaho

$9,388 paid since 1997

Details

Tornadoes since 1950

3

25th of 44 in Idaho

Fewer than the typical Idaho county, which has had 4

Details

Strongest tornado

F2

June 4, 2006, 12.0 mile path

Largest earthquake within 50 mi

5.3magnitude

May 12, 1916, 17.5 miles away

Details

Federal disaster declarations

9

Most recent: Four Corners Fire, 2022

Details

Record high

104°F

August 10, 1928

Details

Record low

−35°F

Reached 2 times, most recently January 19, 1943

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 25 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

June 4, 2006

F2, 12.0 mile path

1,760 yards wide.

Most recent

Sunday, June 4, 2006

F2, 12.0 mile path

20 years ago.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 1 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 1 2000s: 1 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 0 F: 0 M: 0 A: 0 M: 0 J: 2 2 J: 1 A: 0 S: 0 O: 0 N: 0 D: 0 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Adams County since 1950
Jun 4, 2006F212.01,76010
Jul 22, 1992F00.520000
Jun 27, 1958F15.01000
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Adams County: 0.
  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.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.

Wildfire and smoke

231,102 acres burned in 24 large fires since 1984, equal to 27% of the land.

Largest

September 3, 2024

Lava Fire, 86,752 acres

38,247 acres inside Adams County.

Most recent

September 3, 2024

Lava Fire

86,752 acres in total.

Acres burned since 1984, cumulative 1986: 9,6001988: 14,3631989: 6,1661992: 17,7911994: 1751996: 3,1642000: 2,3342003: 1,4442006: 12007: 25,6342010: 22012: 17,2862014: 1,3392015: 2,1412018: 41,1822020: 8,9872022: 4,0582024: 75,436 231,102 acres 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Running total of acres burned inside the county (line) and each year’s acres (bars).

Every large fire

Large wildfires since 1984
Lava202438,24786,752
Limepoint202435,30935,290
Cliff Mountain20245251,117
Wolf Creek20241,3531,365
Four Corners20224,05815,715
Bryan Mountain20201521,135
Woodhead20208,83498,917
Mesa201834,54134,517
Rattlesnake Creek20186,6418,455
Shirts20152,1412,157
Freezeout Ridge20141,3393,967
Wesley201217,28617,269
Hurd201011,839
Grays Creek200724,36824,349
Battle Creek Complex (Battle Creek)20071,26479,057
Foster Gulch2006152,456
Hall20031,4431,443
Goodrich20002,3332,334
Salt Complex (Dam)19963,1634,254
Corral Creek-Blackwell Complex1994175139,998
Windy Ridge199217,79017,786
Curren19896,1656,392
Unnamed198814,36214,349
Goodrich19869,59911,224
  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

Smokiest year

2021: 55 days

Heavy smoke on 30 days in 2021, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

26.1 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

12 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 30 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 3 2012: 25 2013: 13 2014: 12 2015: 22 2016: 4 2017: 26 2018: 29 2019: 4 2020: 36 2021: 55 55 2022: 32 2023: 15 2024: 48 2025: 12 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  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.

Floods and flood insurance

4 federal flood insurance claims since 1997, with $9,388 paid.

Federal flood insurance claims by year
Claims per year since 1997. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Flood events since 1996

  • Heavy Rain8
  • Flood7
  • Flash Flood2

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.

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 151 of 1,581 months since 1895 (10%); the longest spell lasted 12 months.

151

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

34

Months in extreme drought

10%

Share of all months, severe or worse

Lowest reading

April 1977

−5.14, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

12 months

April 1934 to March 1935.

Latest month

September 2026

−2.60, moderate drought

Last severe month: August 2026.

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 0 1898: 0 1899: 0 1900: 0 1901: 0 1902: 0 1903: 0 1904: 0 1905: 0 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 0 1911: 0 1912: 0 1913: 0 1914: 0 1915: 0 1916: 0 1917: 0 1918: 0 1919: 4 1920: 1 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 5 1925: 0 1926: 0 1927: 0 1928: 2 1929: 7 1930: 3 1931: 6 1932: 0 1933: 0 1934: 9 1935: 9 1936: 3 1937: 3 1938: 0 1939: 2 1940: 1 1941: 0 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 0 1945: 0 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 0 1951: 0 1952: 0 1953: 0 1954: 0 1955: 0 1956: 0 1957: 0 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 0 1964: 0 1965: 0 1966: 4 1967: 0 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 1 1975: 0 1976: 1 1977: 6 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 3 1988: 9 1989: 1 1990: 0 1991: 1 1992: 10 10 1993: 1 1994: 7 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 0 2001: 10 2002: 7 2003: 1 2004: 2 2005: 1 2006: 0 2007: 7 2008: 0 2009: 1 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 9 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 2 2019: 1 2020: 0 2021: 5 2022: 4 2023: 1 2024: 0 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  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.

Earthquakes and landslides

19 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.3 in 1916.

16

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

312

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

19

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

1

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

May 12, 1916

Magnitude 5.3

Western Idaho; 17.5 miles away.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

October 29, 2025

Magnitude 3.2

23 km NW of Stanley, Idaho; 49.8 miles away.

Earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles, by year 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 2 1976: 2 1977: 1 1978: 2 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 2 1982: 1 1983: 4 1984: 3 1985: 0 1986: 2 1987: 1 1988: 1 1989: 2 1990: 1 1991: 1 1992: 2 1993: 0 1994: 3 1995: 7 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 5 1999: 5 2000: 6 2001: 3 2002: 10 2003: 1 2004: 3 2005: 12 2006: 0 2007: 2 2008: 0 2009: 2 2010: 2 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 2 2014: 2 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 1 2018: 1 2019: 0 2020: 161 161 2021: 27 2022: 7 2023: 5 2024: 15 2025: 3 19731978198319881993199820032008201320182023
Per year, 1973 to 2025.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

Earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
Feb 26, 20244.97.87.610 km N of Smiths Ferry, Idaho
Nov 12, 20214.048.93.223 km WNW of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 13, 20204.148.66.226 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 6, 20204.046.56.227 km WNW of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 8, 20204.449.56.239 km NNW of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 8, 20204.048.26.239 km NNW of Stanley, Idaho
Jun 24, 20204.648.64.727 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
May 21, 20204.449.93.526 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
May 13, 20204.446.97.931 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Apr 20, 20204.148.36.229 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 30, 20024.131.96.221 km S of Yellow Pine, Idaho
Apr 11, 19954.235.63.120 km SSE of Yellow Pine, Idaho
Oct 26, 19944.05.46.211 km SE of Halfway, Oregon
Feb 20, 19884.020.63.125 km ESE of Cascade, Idaho
Sep 8, 19834.024.43.130 km ENE of Cascade, Idaho
Mar 22, 19784.135.63.125 km NNE of Lowman, Idaho
Nov 27, 19774.2Inside3.119 km WNW of Cascade, Idaho
Sep 24, 19474.739.8—29 km NE of Lowman, Idaho
May 12, 19165.317.5—Western Idaho
  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 county boundary (or inside the county).
  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.

Mapped landslides

612

Landslides mapped, probable or better

526

With a recorded date

2

Source inventories

Mapped by ID GS (611), 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.

Severe weather and other events

187 events in the National Weather Service record, 178 of them since 1996.

4

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

0

Hail, 2 inches or larger

8

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

136

Winter weather events since 1996

0

Heat events since 1996

2

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

May 25, 2018

1.75 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

June 27, 2004

92 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
Dense fog and smoke300Jan 9, 2002
Avalanches110Dec 17, 2009

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Apr 7, 2019Flood$403,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Adams County emergency manager reported flooding and flash flooding including debris flow throughout the county.

  2. Jun 4, 2006Tornado$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    F2 Tornado started at 2 miles west of Bear and moved to 12 miles north east of Bear. Extensive forest damage but minimal structural damage to homes. 1 pickup truck destroyed. Trees down in camp site detroyed tents and camping gear. Injury to one individual with a broken collar bone.

  3. Jun 28, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Adams County Emergency Manager reported the roof was blown off of a church in Council including roof damage to other homes in the area. Also, many large trees were down along a path into the northeast part of the county.

  4. May 21, 2013Strong Wind, West Central Mountains$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A trained spotter reported trees down on a power box in McCall near Forest Road. At 215 MST, Idaho Power reported 575 customers around McCall were without power.

  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.

Weather records

From Mccall, 14 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1906.

All-time high
104°FAug 10, 1928
All-time low
−35°F2 times, most recently Jan 19, 1943
Warmest night
75°FJul 13, 1925
Coldest day
−10°FDec 18, 1924
Wettest day
3.30 inNov 26, 2025
Snowiest day
23.0 inJan 15, 1971
Hottest year
2015mean 44.7°F
Coldest year
1955mean 37.1°F
Wettest year
199838.16 in
Driest year
192815.62 in
Snowiest season
272.0 in1970-71
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Mccall 32°F 32° 13° 2.9 Jan 35° 14° 2.6 Feb 42° 20° 2.8 Mar 51° 27° 2.0 Apr 62° 35° 2.3 May 71° 41° 1.9 Jun 83° 46° 0.5 Jul 82° 45° 0.6 Aug 72° 37° 1.3 Sep 58° 29° 1.8 Oct 41° 21° 2.8 Nov 31° 14° 3.7 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Nights at or below freezing per year 1976: 245 1977: 226 1978: 232 1979: 233 1980: 219 1981: 210 1982: 229 1983: 219 1984: 242 1985: 228 1986: 249 1987: 236 1988: 251 251 1989: 248 1990: 221 1991: 235 1992: 210 1998: 218 1999: 237 2001: 221 2002: 231 2003: 212 2004: 206 2005: 226 2006: 200 2007: 209 2008: 217 2009: 211 2010: 217 2011: 218 2012: 215 2013: 214 2014: 207 2015: 193 2016: 196 2017: 201 2018: 201 2019: 212 2020: 211 2021: 207 2022: 216 2023: 202 2024: 228 2025: 194 19761986200220122022
Nights at or below freezing each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 211.9.
Snowfall by winter 1976: 58.5 in 1977: 138.0 in 1978: 131.5 in 1979: 112.0 in 1980: 79.0 in 1981: 151.5 in 1982: 148.0 in 1983: 160.6 in 1984: 138.0 in 1985: 110.1 in 1986: 57.6 in 1987: 95.5 in 1988: 191.5 in 1989: 116.0 in 1990: 79.0 in 1991: 57.5 in 1992: 159.5 in 1993: 92.5 in 1994: 174.0 in 1995: 86.5 in 1996: 127.2 in 1997: 146.9 in 1998: 183.4 in 1999: 134.6 in 2001: 172.0 in 2002: 79.0 in 2003: 125.0 in 2004: 81.0 in 2005: 175.0 in 2006: 134.0 in 2007: 231.3 in 231.3 2008: 103.2 in 2009: 115.0 in 2010: 166.4 in 2011: 100.8 in 2012: 124.0 in 2013: 96.5 in 2014: 59.1 in 2015: 139.3 in 2016: 127.1 in 2017: 118.0 in 2018: 140.0 in 2019: 141.0 in 2020: 157.0 in 2021: 106.0 in 2022: 194.5 in 2023: 113.0 in 2024: 125.9 in 2025: 46.5 in 19761986199620072017
Total snowfall each winter (July to June), last 50 winters.

Median first snow

November 4

Earliest: September 24, 1958

Median last snow

April 19

Latest: June 16, 1998

0 of 81 winters had no measurable snow.

Station Mccall (USC00105708), 5,025 ft elevation, 14.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1906 to October 26, 2026; 96.4% 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.

Federal disaster declarations

9 since 1953. The most recent: Four Corners Fire, August 19, 2022.

Federal disaster declarations
Aug 19, 2022FireFour Corners FireFire managementFM-5449-ID
Apr 9, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4534-ID
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3467-ID
Jun 12, 2019FloodSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4443-ID
Jul 27, 2010Severe StormSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1927-ID
Sep 13, 2005HurricaneHurricane KatrinaEmergencyEM-3244-ID
Jan 4, 1997Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mud and LandslidesMajor disasterDR-1154-ID
May 5, 1977DroughtDroughtEmergencyEM-3040-ID
Jan 25, 1974FloodSevere Storms, Snowmelt & FloodingMajor disasterDR-415-ID

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.

How this compares

Where Adams County stands among 44 counties in Idaho and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 1950325 / 442,775 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger0——
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi0——
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi0——
Wildfire acres since 1984231,10219 / 44195 / 3,143
Flood insurance claims426 / 442,607 / 3,143
Flood insurance paid$9,38930 / 442,713 / 3,143
Disaster declarations915 / 442,860 / 3,143
Flood events since 19961729 / 442,630 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 19961944 / 443,076 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 199613626 / 44586 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$563,00041 / 443,021 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage0——
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189515133 / 44908 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years26.117 / 44530 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19001925 / 44284 / 3,143
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 19731614 / 44291 / 3,143

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Baker County OR50642,0464
Gem County20222,2704
Idaho County203,063,4245
Valley County001,450,0581
Wallowa County OR70868,26916
Washington County30465,72623

Sources and vintage

Every number on this page comes from these public records.

  • 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 USC00105708.
  • 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.
  • 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.