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 Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- 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.
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.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 4, 2006 | F2 | 12.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1992 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 1958 | F1 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Adams County: 0.
- 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.
Every large fire
| Lava | 2024 | 38,247 | 86,752 |
| Limepoint | 2024 | 35,309 | 35,290 |
| Cliff Mountain | 2024 | 525 | 1,117 |
| Wolf Creek | 2024 | 1,353 | 1,365 |
| Four Corners | 2022 | 4,058 | 15,715 |
| Bryan Mountain | 2020 | 152 | 1,135 |
| Woodhead | 2020 | 8,834 | 98,917 |
| Mesa | 2018 | 34,541 | 34,517 |
| Rattlesnake Creek | 2018 | 6,641 | 8,455 |
| Shirts | 2015 | 2,141 | 2,157 |
| Freezeout Ridge | 2014 | 1,339 | 3,967 |
| Wesley | 2012 | 17,286 | 17,269 |
| Hurd | 2010 | 1 | 1,839 |
| Grays Creek | 2007 | 24,368 | 24,349 |
| Battle Creek Complex (Battle Creek) | 2007 | 1,264 | 79,057 |
| Foster Gulch | 2006 | 1 | 52,456 |
| Hall | 2003 | 1,443 | 1,443 |
| Goodrich | 2000 | 2,333 | 2,334 |
| Salt Complex (Dam) | 1996 | 3,163 | 4,254 |
| Corral Creek-Blackwell Complex | 1994 | 175 | 139,998 |
| Windy Ridge | 1992 | 17,790 | 17,786 |
| Curren | 1989 | 6,165 | 6,392 |
| Unnamed | 1988 | 14,362 | 14,349 |
| Goodrich | 1986 | 9,599 | 11,224 |
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
October 29, 2025
Magnitude 3.2
23 km NW of Stanley, Idaho; 49.8 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Feb 26, 2024 | 4.9 | 7.8 |
| Nov 12, 2021 | 4.0 | 48.9 |
| Nov 13, 2020 | 4.1 | 48.6 |
| Nov 6, 2020 | 4.0 | 46.5 |
| Sep 8, 2020 | 4.4 | 49.5 |
| Sep 8, 2020 | 4.0 | 48.2 |
| Jun 24, 2020 | 4.6 | 48.6 |
| May 21, 2020 | 4.4 | 49.9 |
| May 13, 2020 | 4.4 | 46.9 |
| Apr 20, 2020 | 4.1 | 48.3 |
| Nov 30, 2002 | 4.1 | 31.9 |
| Apr 11, 1995 | 4.2 | 35.6 |
| Oct 26, 1994 | 4.0 | 5.4 |
| Feb 20, 1988 | 4.0 | 20.6 |
| Sep 8, 1983 | 4.0 | 24.4 |
| Mar 22, 1978 | 4.1 | 35.6 |
| Nov 27, 1977 | 4.2 | Inside |
| Sep 24, 1947 | 4.7 | 39.8 |
| May 12, 1916 | 5.3 | 17.5 |
- 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).
- 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).
- 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
| Dense fog and smoke | 3 | 0 |
| Avalanches | 1 | 1 |
Costliest events since 1996
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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.
| Aug 19, 2022 | Fire | FM-5449-ID |
| Apr 9, 2020 | Biological | DR-4534-ID |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3467-ID |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | DR-4443-ID |
| Jul 27, 2010 | Severe Storm | DR-1927-ID |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3244-ID |
| Jan 4, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1154-ID |
| May 5, 1977 | Drought | EM-3040-ID |
| Jan 25, 1974 | Flood | DR-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.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 3 | 25 / 44 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 0 | — |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 231,102 | 19 / 44 |
| Flood insurance claims | 4 | 26 / 44 |
| Flood insurance paid | $9,389 | 30 / 44 |
| Disaster declarations | 9 | 15 / 44 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 17 | 29 / 44 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 19 | 44 / 44 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 136 | 26 / 44 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $563,000 | 41 / 44 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 0 | — |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 151 | 33 / 44 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 26.1 | 17 / 44 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 19 | 25 / 44 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 16 | 14 / 44 |
Neighbouring counties
| Baker County OR | 5 | 0 |
| Gem County | 2 | 0 |
| Idaho County | 2 | 0 |
| Valley County | 0 | 0 |
| Wallowa County OR | 7 | 0 |
| Washington County | 3 | 0 |
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.