Fremont County
Population 14,208 (2025) 1,864 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 101,424 acres of Fremont County since 1984, 28th most of 44 counties in Idaho; the largest was the Grassy Ridge Fire in 2018.
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 19505
- Wildfire burn scars since 198416
At a glance
The record for Fremont County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Acres burned since 1984
101,424
28th of 44 in Idaho
16 large fires; the largest was Grassy Ridge, 2018
DetailsStrongest tornado
F1
May 15, 1984, 8.0 mile path
Tornadoes
About one every 15 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
May 15, 1984
F1, 8.0 mile path
10 yards wide.
Most recent
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
EFU, 0.1 mile path
Within the past year.
Every recorded tornado
| Apr 1, 2025 | EFU | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 17, 2013 | EF0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2, 2004 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 9, 1986 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 15, 1984 | F1 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Fremont 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
101,424 acres burned in 16 large fires since 1984, equal to 8.5% of the land.
Largest
July 26, 2018
Grassy Ridge Fire, 106,102 acres
45,064 acres inside Fremont County.
Most recent
November 4, 2020
North Juniper Fire
1,167 acres in total.
Every large fire
| North Juniper | 2020 | 1,167 | 1,167 |
| Grassy Ridge | 2018 | 45,064 | 106,102 |
| Willow Wfu | 2008 | 3,557 | 4,181 |
| Dry Lake | 2007 | 1,106 | 1,107 |
| Sand Dunes | 2007 | 1,040 | 1,040 |
| Snowshoe | 2006 | 6,445 | 11,899 |
| Dune | 2006 | 1,812 | 1,812 |
| Unnamed | 2004 | 2,114 | 2,112 |
| Spruce Complex (Plateau) | 2000 | 35 | 2,810 |
| Robinson | 1994 | 2,659 | 8,622 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 8,384 | 8,378 |
| Cinder Pit | 1994 | 1,866 | 1,867 |
| Big Grassy | 1991 | 2,860 | 2,863 |
| Red Road S | 1988 | 1,544 | 1,545 |
| North Fork | 1988 | 19,851 | 563,089 |
| Pine Butte | 1987 | 1,912 | 1,938 |
- 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: 58 days
Heavy smoke on 33 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
20.7 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
7 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 21 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
7 federal flood insurance claims since 1997, with $90,000 paid.
Flood events since 1996
- Flood15
- Flash Flood7
- Heavy Rain3
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 8, 2011
Henrys Fork at St Anthony, 8.84 ft
1.84 feet above the 7.0 ft flood stage; moderate flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
June 14, 2011
Teton River (ID) near St. Anthony, 6.61 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Fall River (WY-ID) near Chester | 6.5 | 7.83 ft | 0 |
| Henrys Fork at St Anthony | 7.0 | 8.84 ft | 0 |
| Teton River (ID) near St. Anthony | 6.0 | 6.78 ft | 0 |
- 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 267 of 1,581 months since 1895 (17%); the longest spell lasted 28 months.
267
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
103
Months in extreme drought
17%
Share of all months, severe or worse
2
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
May 1934
−7.36, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
28 months
October 1933 to January 1936.
Latest month
September 2026
−2.98, 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, volcanoes and landslides
98 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 7.2 in 1959.
16
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
597
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
98
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
20
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
August 17, 1959
The 1959 Hebgen Lake, Montana Earthquake; 7.5 miles away, 7.5 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
September 6, 2026
Magnitude 3.4
57 km NE of Kelly, Wyoming; 41.5 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
| Yellowstone | 24.2 | High |
| Hells Half Acre lava field | 35.7 | Low |
| Craters of the Moon Volcanic Field | 77.2 | Low |
| Wapi Lava Field | 92.4 | 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.
Mapped landslides
9
Landslides mapped, probable or better
5
With a recorded date
1
Source inventory
Mapped by ID GS (9).
- 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
788 events in the National Weather Service record, 758 of them since 1996.
28
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
65
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
392
Winter weather events since 1996
13
Heat events since 1996
43
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
July 9, 1983
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
August 2, 2004
75 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 4 | 0 |
| Dust storms and dust devils | 27 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 1 | 0 |
| Debris flows | 1 | 0 |
| Avalanches | 4 | 2 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Apr 23, 2002High Wind, Upper Snake River Plain$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
One week after a heavy snowstorm, the same area in southeastern Idaho was hit by a windstorm. The passage of a strong cold front created the winds on April 23rd. Sustained winds on the 23rd were between 40 and 50 mph with gusts reaching 60 to 70 mph throughout the afternoon covering the entire Snake River Plain from Minidoka northeast through Pocatello, Craters of the Moon, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls to Rexburg. The winds also did damage in the Upper Snake Highlands as well. 10,000 residents lost power in Blackfoot, Pocatello, and Chubbuck. The winds created poor visibility and blowing dust and closed roads. Interstate 15 was closed from Idaho Falls to Roberts. US Highway 20 was…
- Oct 15, 1998Winter Storm, Yellowstone National Park Mt Id / W Park / N Teton$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A severe winter storm moved across Western and Central Wyoming dumping locally heavy snow from southern Yellowstone National Park to the Casper area. The main brunt of the storm was felt in the Casper area where up to 17 inches of snow fell. Strong winds accompanied the heavy snow causing widespread tree damage and power outages. Poor visibilities and icy road conditions caused numerous vehicle accidents.
- Oct 14, 2017Heavy Snow, Upper Snake River Plain$625,000
National Weather Service narrative
An early season snowfall of wet heavy snow dropped widespread reports of 6 to 8 inches of snow in Idaho Falls. Power lines, trees and tree limbs were downed due to the heavy and wet nature of the snow. Over 15,400 customers were reported without power by Idaho Falls Power by 9 am on the 14th. Several auto accidents reported. Three trees fell on cars and one tree fell on a mobile home with another through a residential window.
- Jul 18, 2004Debris Flow, Yellowstone National Park$275,000
National Weather Service narrative
A thunderstorm produced very heavy rain late in the evening over Sylvan Pass. A slide of mud and earth oozed onto U.S. Highway 16 about 6 miles west of Yellowstone National Park's east entrance. Four feet of mud and debris trapped sixteen people in four vehicles for three hours. The debris flow was estimated to contain 30,000 tons of mud and rock and was in some cases 10 feet deep. The east entrance of Yellowstone National Park was closed for four days following the mudslide. No injuries occurred.
- Apr 2, 2018High Wind, Upper Snake River Plain$275,000
National Weather Service narrative
A powerful cold front moved through Idaho and caused significant damage. Wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph were common throughout the day on the 2nd especially in the afternoon. Interstate 15 was closed from exit 118 to exit 143 from Idaho Falls to Roberts due to blowing dust caused from the winds. A boat was blown off a trailer near Ririe on US Highway 26. Several trees were reported downed in Idaho Falls including one that fell on top of Holy Rosary Elementary School. Some structural damage was reported in Idaho Falls due to trees falling on homes. Damage to power lines resulted in over 2,500 customers without power reported by Rocky Mountain Power. Power poles were downed in Terreton…
- Jan 1, 2004Blizzard, Upper Snake River Plain$220,000
National Weather Service narrative
An incredible storm concluded a very active holiday weather week in southeast Idaho with widespread snow and wind beginning Christmas and continuing almost without interruption through New Year's Day. The Pocatello airport received 23.4 inches of total snowfall during the week. The final storm during January 1st was the highlight of the week with a widespread blizzard affecting all of southeastern Idaho from the central mountains extending east and south to the Utah and Wyoming borders. An intense pacific storm system caused the event with a strong surface low pressure moving rapidly through the Idaho panhandle late in the day. The blizzard came in two waves with very strong…
- Nov 1, 2022High Wind, Upper Snake River Plain$190,000
National Weather Service narrative
Twenty-seven power poles were knocked down with Rocky Mountain Power reporting 1,500 customers without power very early on November 2nd with the Idaho Falls airport reporting a 74 mph wind gust at 1:30 AM MDT. Much of the damage was in the Idaho Falls and Shelley area as well as the power outages. Most gusts were in the 45 to 55 mph range with a couple exceeding 60 mph.
- Jan 18, 2011Heavy Snow, Upper Snake River Plain$140,000
National Weather Service narrative
A flat-roofed cinder block commercial building roof collapsed. The building in Rexburg housed both Rocky Mountain ATVs and Custom Auto. Heavy snow collected on the roof was the cause of the collapse.
- Feb 5, 2017Flood$131,000
National Weather Service narrative
A February warmup caused mainly road damage to Fremont County with some minor flooding.
- Mar 1, 2024Winter Storm, Upper Snake River Plain$118,000
National Weather Service narrative
A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy snow, strong winds which caused excessive damage due to the heavy and wet nature of the snow. Several trees were downed with extensive power outages. Windy conditions and colder temperatures caused some road closures on the 4th. 15 thousand customers from Rigby to Rexburg to Idaho Falls to Lewisville were without power on the 2nd. 10 to 16 inches of snow fell with 12 inches in Idaho Falls with 15 inches near the Idaho Falls Airport and 10 inches in Rexburg. The Rigby COOP reported 9 inches. Extensive reports of downed power lines. A power pole snapped in Idaho Falls. Dozens of trees downed in Idaho Falls. A large carport collapsed on top…
- 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 Saint Anthony, 5.2 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1895.
- All-time high
- 100°FJun 26, 1988
- All-time low
- −40°F2 times, most recently Dec 30, 1990
- Warmest night
- 68°F2 times, most recently Jul 22, 2018
- Coldest day
- −12°FDec 23, 1990
- Wettest day
- 2.00 inMar 28, 1998
- Snowiest day
- 15.0 inDec 25, 2016
- Hottest year
- 1953mean 44.7°F
- Coldest year
- 1993mean 38.3°F
- Wettest year
- 199522.80 in
- Driest year
- 19767.30 in
- Snowiest season
- 102.7 in2007-08
Median first snow
November 10
Earliest: October 5, 2009
Median last snow
April 1
Latest: May 13, 1951
0 of 31 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Saint Anthony (USC00108022), 4,970 ft elevation, 5.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1895 to August 31, 2026; 91.7% 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
5 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 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3244-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 Fremont County stands among 44 counties in Idaho and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 5 | 17 / 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 | 101,424 | 28 / 44 |
| Flood insurance claims | 7 | 20 / 44 |
| Flood insurance paid | $90,000 | 17 / 44 |
| Disaster declarations | 5 | 30 / 44 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 25 | 19 / 44 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 201 | 8 / 44 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 392 | 6 / 44 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $7.4 million | 29 / 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 | 267 | 9 / 44 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 20.7 | 39 / 44 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 98 | 9 / 44 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 16 | 14 / 44 |
Neighbouring counties
| Beaverhead County MT | 14 | 0 |
| Clark County | 8 | 0 |
| Gallatin County MT | 4 | 0 |
| Jefferson County | 19 | 0 |
| Madison County | 6 | 0 |
| Madison County MT | 2 | 0 |
| Teton County | 1 | 0 |
| Teton County WY | 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 USC00108022.
- 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.