Camas County

Population 1,316 (2025) 1,074 sq mi

Large wildfires have burned 142,304 acres of Camas County since 1984, 24th most of 44 counties in Idaho; the largest was the Thorn Creek Fire in 1990.

Hazard fingerprint for Camas County Tornado: 9th percentile. Tropical: 0th percentile. Wildfire: 87th percentile. Flood: 5th percentile. Hail & wind: 3th percentile. Heat: 0th percentile. Cold: 3th percentile. Winter: 88th 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 19504
  • Wildfire burn scars since 198419

At a glance

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

Acres burned since 1984

142,304

24th of 44 in Idaho

19 large fires; the largest was Thorn Creek, 1990

Details

Tornadoes since 1950

4

20th of 44 in Idaho

About as many as the typical Idaho county

Details

Strongest tornado

F1

July 5, 1961, 5.1 mile path

Largest earthquake within 50 mi

6.9magnitude

October 28, 1983, 45.6 miles away

Details

Federal disaster declarations

8

Most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020

Details

Record high

100°F

July 31, 2000

Details

Record low

−31°F

December 22, 1990

Details

Costliest event since 1996

$10K

Strong Wind, May 21, 2013

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 19 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

July 5, 1961

F1, 5.1 mile path

10 yards wide.

Most recent

Friday, August 29, 1986

F0, 1.0 mile path

40 years ago.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 0 1960s: 3 3 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 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: 1 S: 0 O: 0 N: 0 D: 0 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Camas County since 1950
Aug 29, 1986F01.02000
Jun 8, 1967F00.51700
Jul 5, 1961F15.11000
Jun 2, 1961F00.31000
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Camas 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

142,304 acres burned in 19 large fires since 1984, equal to 21% of the land.

Largest

August 8, 1990

Thorn Creek Fire, 70,381 acres

31,812 acres inside Camas County.

Most recent

September 4, 2022

Wildhorse Fire

8,775 acres in total.

Acres burned since 1984, cumulative 1988: 2,2171989: 2,3041990: 31,8131992: 1,9471995: 3841996: 4,0052000: 382001: 13,4082007: 5,3582008: 5,8852013: 57,4422018: 6,4422020: 1,9982022: 9,062 142,304 acres 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Running total of acres burned inside the county (line) and each year’s acres (bars).

Every large fire

Large wildfires since 1984
Wildhorse20221388,775
Ross Fork20228,92240,690
Phillips Creek20201,9971,996
Stewart Creek20186,4426,441
Kelley201311,60716,289
Beaver Creek201318,150111,308
Mccan201322,87422,876
Fir Grove20134,5797,132
Leggit20132301,152
South Barker Wfu20085,88436,083
Cow Creek20075,3575,355
Willow Creek200113,40818,545
Trail Creek20003833,538
Davis Mountain19964,00519,386
Boyer19953841,130
Powell Creek19921,9461,948
Thorn Creek199031,81270,381
Sheep Lake19892,3042,302
Mckay Gulch19882,2172,218
  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: 64 days

Heavy smoke on 39 days in 2021, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

24.4 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

9 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 25 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 7 2012: 24 2013: 16 2014: 8 2015: 15 2016: 6 2017: 22 2018: 39 2019: 5 2020: 38 2021: 64 64 2022: 19 2023: 6 2024: 36 2025: 9 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

No federal flood insurance claims are recorded for this county.

Flood events since 1996

  • Flash Flood4
  • Heavy Rain3
  • Flood1

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

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 145 of 1,581 months since 1895 (9%); the longest spell lasted 11 months.

145

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

26

Months in extreme drought

9%

Share of all months, severe or worse

Lowest reading

April 1977

−5.02, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

11 months

April 1934 to February 1935.

Latest month

September 2026

−3.96, severe drought

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 0 1898: 0 1899: 0 1900: 0 1901: 1 1902: 1 1903: 0 1904: 0 1905: 4 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 1 1911: 0 1912: 0 1913: 0 1914: 0 1915: 0 1916: 0 1917: 0 1918: 0 1919: 0 1920: 0 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 4 1925: 0 1926: 0 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 1 1930: 0 1931: 3 1932: 0 1933: 0 1934: 9 1935: 3 1936: 0 1937: 1 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: 2 1956: 0 1957: 0 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 0 1964: 0 1965: 0 1966: 6 1967: 0 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 11 11 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 4 1988: 8 1989: 0 1990: 1 1991: 2 1992: 7 1993: 0 1994: 5 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 2 2001: 10 2002: 9 2003: 5 2004: 2 2005: 1 2006: 0 2007: 5 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 1 2014: 4 2015: 1 2016: 1 2017: 0 2018: 1 2019: 1 2020: 0 2021: 7 2022: 3 2023: 0 2024: 1 2025: 6 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, volcanoes and landslides

74 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 6.9 in 1983.

1

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

725

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

74

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

7

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

October 28, 1983

Magnitude 6.9

The 1983 Borah Peak Earthquake, Idaho; 45.6 miles away, 6.2 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

September 11, 2026

Magnitude 3.2

22 km NW of Stanley, Idaho; 35.3 miles away.

Earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles, by year 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 1 1976: 2 1977: 1 1978: 5 1979: 0 1980: 2 1981: 1 1982: 0 1983: 69 1984: 67 1985: 24 1986: 44 1987: 8 1988: 5 1989: 2 1990: 5 1991: 3 1992: 8 1993: 8 1994: 5 1995: 4 1996: 3 1997: 6 1998: 3 1999: 3 2000: 4 2001: 1 2002: 1 2003: 0 2004: 2 2005: 2 2006: 1 2007: 2 2008: 2 2009: 1 2010: 3 2011: 0 2012: 2 2013: 1 2014: 1 2015: 5 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 2 2019: 0 2020: 283 283 2021: 57 2022: 19 2023: 6 2024: 9 2025: 40 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
Jun 8, 20254.343.74.424 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Jun 3, 20254.033.98.615 km NNW of Stanley, Idaho
Jun 3, 20254.035.26.217 km NNW of Stanley, Idaho
Jan 27, 20254.240.75.726 km NW of Clayton, Idaho
Nov 23, 20214.020.16.216 km SW of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 12, 20214.033.63.223 km WNW of Stanley, Idaho
Oct 2, 20214.030.74.412 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 18, 20214.034.06.219 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 25, 20204.133.06.214 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 15, 20204.134.52.916 km NNW of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 13, 20204.136.86.226 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 6, 20204.033.86.227 km WNW of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 8, 20204.447.86.239 km NNW of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 8, 20204.047.46.239 km NNW of Stanley, Idaho
Aug 7, 20204.222.36.213 km WSW of Stanley, Idaho
Jul 10, 20204.117.16.218 km SW of Stanley, Idaho
Jun 24, 20204.638.94.727 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Jun 14, 20204.229.44.710 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Jun 9, 20204.230.56.211 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
May 21, 20204.438.23.526 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
May 13, 20204.440.47.931 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Apr 20, 20204.140.26.229 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Apr 11, 20204.133.46.220 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Apr 3, 20204.033.76.220 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Mar 31, 20204.033.18.618 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Mar 31, 20204.435.04.023 km NW of Stanley, Idaho
Mar 31, 20204.833.66.221 km WNW of Stanley, Idaho
Mar 31, 20206.542.87.5Stanley, Idaho
Jan 27, 19954.345.33.133 km NNE of Stanley, Idaho
Apr 23, 19934.044.33.131 km NNE of Stanley, Idaho
Feb 18, 19934.146.03.134 km NNE of Stanley, Idaho
Feb 18, 19934.043.83.131 km NNE of Stanley, Idaho
Jun 23, 19924.040.86.210 km NE of Clayton, Idaho
Feb 17, 19924.345.33.133 km NNE of Stanley, Idaho
Aug 16, 19874.016.03.124 km SE of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 26, 19864.615.83.124 km SE of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 26, 19864.314.03.126 km SE of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 10, 19864.017.43.125 km SE of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 5, 19864.013.43.127 km SSE of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 3, 19864.017.43.122 km SE of Stanley, Idaho
Apr 7, 19864.144.93.119 km SSE of Challis, Idaho
Jan 27, 19864.044.83.137 km NW of Mackay, Idaho
Apr 17, 19844.047.66.220 km SSE of Challis, Idaho
Mar 1, 19844.545.46.217 km SSE of Challis, Idaho
Jan 24, 19844.521.06.223 km S of Clayton, Idaho
Jan 11, 19844.044.96.224 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Dec 28, 19834.044.87.024 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Dec 27, 19834.445.96.225 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Dec 14, 19834.147.66.217 km SSE of Challis, Idaho
Dec 11, 19834.042.76.219 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Nov 6, 19834.343.77.536 km ESE of Clayton, Idaho
Nov 2, 19834.343.96.221 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Nov 2, 19834.244.53.025 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 29, 19834.039.86.214 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 29, 19834.237.96.216 km ESE of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 29, 19834.341.47.934 km WNW of Mackay, Idaho
Oct 29, 19835.543.96.222 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 29, 19835.441.85.823 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 28, 19834.046.96.224 km SSE of Challis, Idaho
Oct 28, 19835.443.64.629 km NW of Mackay, Idaho
Oct 28, 19834.142.16.223 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 28, 19834.041.46.222 km E of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 28, 19834.047.66.223 km SSE of Challis, Idaho
Oct 28, 19834.342.66.231 km ESE of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 28, 19836.945.66.2The 1983 Borah Peak Earthquake, Idaho
Mar 22, 19784.139.23.125 km NNE of Lowman, Idaho
Apr 26, 19694.921.611.222 km S of Clayton, Idaho
Oct 16, 19634.739.718.627 km NE of Stanley, Idaho
Sep 11, 19634.425.75.6southern Idaho
Sep 10, 19634.925.55.019 km WSW of Clayton, Idaho
Jan 27, 19634.827.56.812 km SW of Clayton, Idaho
Sep 24, 19474.736.8—29 km NE of Lowman, Idaho
Jul 12, 19446.148.66.237 km N of Stanley, Idaho
Nov 11, 19055.521.6—Near Shoshone, 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.

Volcanoes within 100 miles

Volcanoes within 100 miles
Black Butte Crater lava field1.9Low4,849
Craters of the Moon Volcanic Field45.4Low6,578
Wapi Lava Field62.4Low5,262
Hells Half Acre lava field98.1Low5,351
  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

52

Landslides mapped, probable or better

0

With a recorded date

1

Source inventory

Mapped by ID GS (52).

  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

230 events in the National Weather Service record, 221 of them since 1996.

5

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

0

Hail, 2 inches or larger

5

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

188

Winter weather events since 1996

0

Heat events since 1996

1

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

May 25, 1965

1.50 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

June 6, 2011

70 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
Avalanches242Mar 30, 2010

Costliest events since 1996

  1. May 21, 2013Strong Wind, Boise Mountains$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Wind damage was reported in Garden Valley with trees down and damage to homes.

  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 Soldier R.s., 9.6 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1986.

All-time high
100°FJul 31, 2000
All-time low
−31°FDec 22, 1990
Warmest night
62°F3 times, most recently Jul 21, 2026
Coldest day
−9°FDec 22, 1990
Wettest day
3.10 inOct 24, 2010
Hottest year
2021mean 45.4°F
Coldest year
2011mean 41.0°F
Wettest year
199638.70 in
Driest year
201313.40 in
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Soldier R.s. 32°F 36° 13° 3.4 Jan 38° 16° 2.7 Feb 46° 23° 2.3 Mar 53° 28° 1.4 Apr 62° 35° 1.8 May 72° 41° 0.8 Jun 84° 49° 0.4 Jul 82° 48° 0.6 Aug 72° 40° 0.8 Sep 58° 31° 1.8 Oct 43° 22° 2.4 Nov 35° 14° 4.8 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 1987: 162 1999: 209 2000: 207 2001: 209 2002: 219 2003: 204 2004: 200 2005: 214 2006: 211 2007: 201 2008: 217 2009: 215 2010: 209 2011: 221 2012: 204 2013: 222 222 2014: 205 2015: 182 2016: 188 2017: 215 2018: 202 2019: 210 2021: 195 2022: 199 2023: 185 2024: 188 2025: 176 198720082018
Nights at or below freezing each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 204.1.

Station Soldier R.s. (USS0014F11S), 5,740 ft elevation, 9.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1986 to October 26, 2026; 93.8% 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

8 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, April 9, 2020.

Federal disaster declarations
Apr 9, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4534-ID
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3467-ID
Aug 27, 2017FloodFlooding, Landslides, and MudslidesMajor disasterDR-4333-ID
Aug 15, 2013FireBeaver Creek FireFire managementFM-5045-ID
Sep 13, 2005HurricaneHurricane KatrinaEmergencyEM-3244-ID
Jan 4, 1997Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mud and LandslidesMajor disasterDR-1154-ID
May 5, 1977DroughtDroughtEmergencyEM-3040-ID
Dec 31, 1964FloodHeavy Rains & FloodingMajor disasterDR-186-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 Camas County stands among 44 counties in Idaho and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 1950420 / 442,697 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger0——
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi0——
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi0——
Wildfire acres since 1984142,30424 / 44266 / 3,143
Flood insurance claims0——
Flood insurance paid$0——
Disaster declarations816 / 442,925 / 3,143
Flood events since 1996838 / 442,967 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 19962343 / 443,069 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 199618821 / 44367 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$10,00044 / 443,121 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage0——
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189514536 / 441,063 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years24.424 / 44698 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19007415 / 44139 / 3,143
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973129 / 44826 / 3,143

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Blaine County70951,673309
Elmore County501,432,17011
Gooding County60167,2286
Lincoln County40613,7465

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 USS0014F11S.
  • 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.