Bingham County
Population 51,153 (2025) 2,094 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 414,662 acres of Bingham County since 1984, 12th most of 44 counties in Idaho; the largest was the Coffee Point Fire in 2000.
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 195020
- Wildfire burn scars since 198452
At a glance
The record for Bingham County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Tornadoes
About one every 3.8 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
February 14, 2000
F1, 14.0 mile path
300 yards wide.
Most recent
Sunday, June 2, 2019
EF0, 1.0 mile path
7 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 2, 2019 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 26, 2019 | EF0 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 2018 | EF1 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 7, 2018 | EF0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 23, 2011 | EF0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 4, 2006 | F0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 25, 2006 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 2005 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F1 | 9.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F1 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F1 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 25, 1995 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 25, 1995 | F0 | 0.2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 28, 1989 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 27, 1972 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 9, 1967 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 6, 1967 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 13, 1959 | F1 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| May 18, 1956 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 9, 1954 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Bingham 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
414,662 acres burned in 52 large fires since 1984, equal to 31% of the land.
Largest
July 26, 2000
Coffee Point Fire, 73,461 acres
73,478 acres inside Bingham County.
Most recent
September 4, 2022
Sagehen Fire
1,261 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Sagehen | 2022 | 1,262 | 1,261 |
| Ross Fork | 2022 | 1,207 | 6,155 |
| Lavaside | 2021 | 1,040 | 1,043 |
| Telegraph | 2020 | 649 | 2,112 |
| Sheep | 2019 | 3,749 | 107,207 |
| Lava Flow | 2017 | 22,217 | 22,213 |
| Wildhorse | 2017 | 2,721 | 25,909 |
| Henrys Creek | 2016 | 156 | 52,960 |
| Lone Pine | 2016 | 5,564 | 9,006 |
| Presto | 2014 | 1,089 | 1,089 |
| Ridge Top | 2012 | 17,794 | 17,785 |
| Cedar Butte Wsa | 2012 | 20,564 | 20,556 |
| Midway | 2012 | 3,937 | 8,293 |
| Middle Butte | 2010 | 9,416 | 9,413 |
| Jefferson | 2010 | 5,265 | 108,497 |
| Highway 20 | 2008 | 1,344 | 1,583 |
| Ross Fork | 2007 | 1,189 | 1,189 |
| Moonshiner | 2007 | 2,773 | 2,770 |
| Twin Buttes | 2007 | 9,019 | 9,015 |
| Crystal | 2006 | 16,708 | 218,571 |
| Round Butte | 2005 | 16,856 | 16,852 |
| Eastside Sheep Trail | 2005 | 1,974 | 1,975 |
| Diversion | 2005 | 2,059 | 2,059 |
| Festival | 2003 | 2,805 | 2,803 |
| Ineel | 2003 | 240 | 2,776 |
| Walker | 2000 | 1,035 | 1,033 |
| Buckskin | 2000 | 4,499 | 4,501 |
| Stage Road | 2000 | 17 | 2,333 |
| Supon Creek | 2000 | 4,155 | 4,150 |
| Coffee Point | 2000 | 73,478 | 73,461 |
| Fingall | 2000 | 1,145 | 1,146 |
| Ross Fork | 2000 | 1,010 | 1,296 |
| Tilden | 2000 | 2,438 | 2,440 |
| Walker | 1999 | 1,276 | 1,275 |
| Dry | 1999 | 2,796 | 2,795 |
| Grandview | 1999 | 9,941 | 23,029 |
| Ineel Fire | 1999 | 1,291 | 43,532 |
| Rawhide 2 | 1999 | 2,324 | 2,324 |
| Cedar Butte | 1999 | 49,624 | 49,609 |
| Buckskin | 1998 | 10,032 | 10,030 |
| Lone Pine | 1998 | 1,575 | 3,680 |
| I-15 | 1998 | 202 | 2,669 |
| Tilden 2 | 1998 | 20,404 | 23,176 |
| East Butte | 1997 | 2,672 | 2,674 |
| Coxs Well | 1996 | 39,491 | 219,407 |
| Inel 5 | 1996 | 9,682 | 9,679 |
| Ross Fork | 1996 | 1,459 | 1,460 |
| Sprngfld2 | 1995 | 1,359 | 1,360 |
| Buckskin | 1994 | 4,607 | 4,604 |
| Garden Pk | 1991 | 5,648 | 5,648 |
| Stevens Pk | 1991 | 9,754 | 9,751 |
| St. Marys | 1986 | 1,128 | 2,284 |
- 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: 65 days
Heavy smoke on 32 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
21.2 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
6 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 18 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
31 federal flood insurance claims since 1979, with $99,000 paid.
Most claims in one year
1997: 17 claims
$80,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 83221 | 19 | $42,000 |
| 83236 | 8 | $27,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood12
- Flash Flood5
- Heavy Rain5
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
Most severe crest
June 17, 1918
Snake River near Shelley, 16.97 ft
4.47 feet above the 12.5 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
May 28, 2011
Snake River near Shelley, 13.15 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Blackfoot River near Blackfoot (Butte Road-Ft. Hall) | 5.8 | 6.77 ft | 0 |
| Blackfoot River near Shelley (Wolverine Canyon) | 8.5 | 9.10 ft | 0 |
| Snake River at Blackfoot | 10.5 | 13.55 ft | 1 |
| Snake River near Blackfoot (Tilden Bridge-Ft. Hall) | 11.0 | 14.80 ft | 0 |
| Snake River near Shelley | 12.5 | 16.97 ft | 4 |
- 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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 304 of 1,581 months since 1895 (19%); the longest spell lasted 43 months.
304
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
165
Months in extreme drought
19%
Share of all months, severe or worse
2
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
August 1934
−7.40, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
43 months
May 2000 to November 2003.
Latest month
September 2026
−4.46, extreme drought
- 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 volcanoes
90 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.8 in 1994.
2
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
663
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
90
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
5
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
February 3, 1994
4 km SSE of Auburn, Wyoming; 35.8 miles away, 4.9 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
July 22, 2026
Magnitude 3.2
6 km WSW of Bennington, Idaho; 46.6 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
- 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.
Volcanoes within 100 miles
| Hells Half Acre lava field | 6.3 | Low |
| Wapi Lava Field | 10.8 | Low |
| Craters of the Moon Volcanic Field | 26.5 | Low |
| Black Butte Crater lava field | 68.0 | Low |
- 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.
Severe weather and other events
795 events in the National Weather Service record, 755 of them since 1996.
27
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
164
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
277
Winter weather events since 1996
8
Heat events since 1996
26
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
April 28, 2003
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
February 14, 2000
86 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 8 | 0 |
| Dust storms and dust devils | 2 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 3 | 1 |
| Avalanches | 1 | 1 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Feb 14, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$2.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
Bingham county sustained by far the most damage from both the straight line wind and the tornadoes. Wind along I-15 near Blackfoot flipped 3 tractor trailers (1 injury) and forced a Greyhound bus (1 injury) into the median. Poles for electric lines were downed wholesale. Loss of power would idle 700 workers from potato processing plants and 350 workers from a flour mill for the remainder of the week. In Moreland and in Shelley, both the elementary and high schools suffered roof damage. A trailer home was destroyed and two more tipped over. Scores of homes suffered minor roof damage. Dozens of sheds and outbuildings were destroyed or damaged along with an airport hanger.…
- Feb 14, 2000Tornado$2.2 million
National Weather Service narrative
In the Riverside vicinity, one mobile home and two attached garages were destroyed. Near Pingree a set of grain silos were caved in. A cinder block building collapsed and a barn was destroyed near Groveland. In East Moreland 8 RVs were flipped and several damaged. Near Moreland, 3 high tension steel towers were toppled. Along the tornado's path, numerous homes sustained roof damage, many sheds and outbuildings were destroyed and large trees uprooted or pushed onto houses. Approximately 25 center pivot irrigation systems were damaged or destroyed and numerous wheel line systems twisted.
- Jun 6, 2009Hail$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Extensive marble sized hail caused thousands of acres of wheat to be lost at a farm near Taber.
- Feb 4, 2017Flood$917,000
National Weather Service narrative
Sheet flooding from extensive snowmelt from excessive winter snow began early in the month and continued through the month. Several homes received extensive flooding damage mainly in the Shelley area. The depth of water in the sheet flooding reached as high as two feet in some areas. The worst of the flooding was from the 7th through the 15th. Ferry Butte and Riverton Roads had to be closed. In the Shelley area also the roadway on 1200 N between 1150 E and 1200 E and from 1200 E to 1150 N also had to be closed. Further flooding occurred after the 20th with several road closures in Aberdeen, Blackfoot, Shelley and Springfield. A County disaster declaration was declared for the county as well.
- 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…
- Feb 14, 2000Tornado$350,000
National Weather Service narrative
This tornado's track started in Bingham county where it destroyed a garage in Shelley. The Shelley High School sustained roof damage. Along the tornado's path, about 10 homes sustained roof damage, 6 center pivot and 12 wheel line irrigation systems sustained damage or were destroyed. The tornado then moved into Bonneville county where a house lost its roof in Ammon. Nearby, several large, metal framed, electric transmission poles were snapped.
- Jun 14, 2021Wildfire, Lower Snake River Plain$310,000
National Weather Service narrative
A human caused wildfire was started about 5 miles south of American Falls and spread rapidly on June 14th. It was noticed at about 3:30 PM. Two homes were destroyed by the fire. Evacuations were ordered for the areas of Cold Creek Road, Ferry Hollow Road, Sunbeam Road, Indian Springs Road, Moonlight Lane, Hornbacher Road, Mayer Road, Garden Road, and all offshoots of those roads. Residents were relocated to American Falls High School. The fire downed several power lines. Strong winds initially occurred and the fire grew rapidly to 3,843 acres. It was a grass, brush and juniper fire.
- 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…
- Aug 6, 2014Flash Flood$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
Nearly 2 inches of rain in less than an hour brought extensive flooding to the city of Blackfoot. Extensive street and parking lot flooding occurred with standing water on roadways a problem throughout the city. Several cars stalled out driving through water with one truck driving into an uncovered manhole Several manhole covers in roads became uncovered as the amount of water was too much for the cities drainage system. 30 homes and 15 businesses reported damage with house basements receiving the most damage. Several roads were also damaged. Damage in Blackfoot was estimated at $300,000.
- Feb 14, 2000Tornado$275,000
National Weather Service narrative
Near Taylorsville a mobile home and garage were destroyed, 3 houses sustained minor roof damage and a cinder block building collapsed. Along the tornado's track, 4 center pivot and 5 wheel irrigation lines were damaged.
- 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 Pocatello Regional Airport, 23.9 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1939.
- 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
Median first snow
October 29
Earliest: September 16, 1965
Median last snow
April 23
Latest: June 14, 1981
0 of 87 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Pocatello Regional Airport (USW00024156), 4,451 ft elevation, 23.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1939 to October 26, 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.
Federal disaster declarations
7 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, April 9, 2020.
| Apr 9, 2020 | Biological | DR-4534-ID |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3467-ID |
| Apr 21, 2017 | Flood | DR-4310-ID |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3244-ID |
| Sep 1, 2000 | Fire | DR-1341-ID |
| Jun 13, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1177-ID |
| Jun 6, 1976 | Flood | DR-505-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 Bingham County stands among 44 counties in Idaho and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 20 | 1 / 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 | 414,662 | 12 / 44 |
| Flood insurance claims | 31 | 9 / 44 |
| Flood insurance paid | $99,000 | 16 / 44 |
| Disaster declarations | 7 | 17 / 44 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 22 | 23 / 44 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 332 | 1 / 44 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 277 | 12 / 44 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $13.2 million | 22 / 44 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 5 | 6 / 44 |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 304 | 3 / 44 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 21.2 | 34 / 44 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 90 | 12 / 44 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 2 | 23 / 44 |
Neighbouring counties
| Bannock County | 7 | 0 |
| Blaine County | 7 | 0 |
| Bonneville County | 6 | 0 |
| Butte County | 8 | 0 |
| Caribou County | 4 | 0 |
| Jefferson County | 19 | 0 |
| Power County | 17 | 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 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.
- 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.