Jefferson County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Jefferson 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.

Every large fire

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

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.

Claims by ZIP code

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

River gauges

1. 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.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. 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…

2. Feb 5, 2017Flood$2.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A significant warmup in February caused massive sheet flooding from snowfall accumulation from December and January. Extensive damage occurred to homes and especially road damage. The state declared Jefferson County a disaster area due to the magnitude of the damage. Road flooding occurred near Roberts on the 11th and 12th, but extreme flooding commenced after the 19th mainly west of Interstate 15. 600 North was closed from 2450 East to 2300 East. 400 North was closed from 2400 East to 1800 East. 2300 East was closed from County Line to 400 North. 2100 East was closed from County Line to 400 North. 2600 East was closed from 200 North to 400 North and 1800 East was closed from 400…

3. 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.

4. Mar 1, 2017Flood$435,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive road and property damage continued into March. Many roads in the Roberts area suffered severe damage due to the flooding. Multiple personal water wells had e-coli due to the problems from the flooding in the first week of March. This occurred near E 200 N and N 3300 E southwest of Lewisville.

5. 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…

6. 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…

7. 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…

8. 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.

9. Mar 14, 2026High Wind, Arco-Mud Lake Desert$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A peak gust of 89 mph was recorded at East Butte. INL Puzzle recorded 79 mph and Tom Cat Summit 77 mph. Several dozen of gusts over 60 mph occurred in the Arco-Mud Lake Desert Region through the day. Just west southwest of Hamer a power line was downed and caused a wildfire that burned and destroyed 800 tons of hay along with complete loss of two power poles.

10. 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.

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.

All-time high

103°FJul 12, 2026

All-time low

−38°FFeb 1, 1985

Warmest night

71°FAug 8, 1983

Coldest day

−13°FJan 1, 1979

Wettest day

1.73 inMay 6, 1993

Snowiest day

9.6 inFeb 11, 1949

Hottest year

2012mean 48.0°F

Coldest year

1964mean 39.5°F

Wettest year

198015.83 in

Driest year

20025.46 in

Station Idaho Falls FAA Airport (USW00024145), 4,733 ft elevation, 12.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 93.7% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00024145.
• 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.