Idaho, 1993

Tornado and Damaging Winds in Idaho, May 3, 1993

May 3, 1993 · 9 events in 8 counties and zones

8 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
4
Property damage
$201,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

8 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Owyhee

When
May 3, 12:30 PM MST
Where
Owyhee County
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
42.582, -116.170 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe thunderstorm winds uprooted trees and tore the roofs off some buildings in Gem County. Four persons sustained minor injuries when the roof came off a mobile home along State Highway 52, 25 miles northwest of Boise. Heavy rain damaged the household contents. Thunderstorm winds in Owyhee County lifted 10-inch irrigation pipes off the ground along State Highway 78 between Murphy and Grand View, 45 miles south of Boise.

Thunderstorm Wind, Owyhee

When
May 3, 1:20 PM MST
Where
Owyhee County
Coordinates
42.582, -116.170 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe thunderstorm winds uprooted trees and tore the roofs off some buildings in Gem County. Four persons sustained minor injuries when the roof came off a mobile home along State Highway 52, 25 miles northwest of Boise. Heavy rain damaged the household contents. Thunderstorm winds in Owyhee County lifted 10-inch irrigation pipes off the ground along State Highway 78 between Murphy and Grand View, 45 miles south of Boise.

Thunderstorm Wind, Boise

When
May 3, 1:50 PM MST
Where
Boise County
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
43.989, -115.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several trees, 40 to 50 feet tall, were blown over at Banks, 25 miles north of Boise. One tree fell on a house.

Tornado, Jerome

When
May 3, 4:23 PM MST
Where
Jerome County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$500
Coordinates
42.570, -113.970

A tornado touched down briefly near Milner Dam, 30 miles east of Twin Falls. A Jerome County Sheriff's Deputy reported a funnel cloud seven miles southeast of Jerome.

Thunderstorm Wind, Twin Falls

When
May 3, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Twin Falls County
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
42.356, -114.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At Hansen, 15 miles southeast of Twin Falls, the roof of a residential garage was torn free by a strong wind gust. Part of the roof fell on a car, breaking a window.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cassia

When
May 3, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Cassia County
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
42.284, -113.600 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A roof was torn off the laundry room of the Creekside Inn in Burley. A fence surrounding the Inn's swimming pool was also damaged, and power to the establishment was knocked out. Winds at the Burley airport were gusting to 59 mph(51 knots). The storm also blew down some power poles, according to the Cassia County Sheriff's Department.

Thunderstorm Wind, Minidoka

When
May 3, 5:30 PM MST
Where
Minidoka County
Coordinates
42.854, -113.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At a local farm, a machine shed was torn apart causing the roof to collapse onto the machinery within. Also, three empty grain bins were torn from their foundations and spread across a nearby field. At another farm nearby, some hay was damaged after the haystack was struck by lightning. Some damage was also done to a few wheel line irrigation systems.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bannock

When
May 3, 5:50 PM MST
Where
Bannock County
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
42.669, -112.225 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A weather observer three miles east of Pocatello recorded a wind gust of 63 mph. Some trees were blown down in the Pocatello area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bingham

When
May 3, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Bingham County
Coordinates
43.217, -112.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A large tree was blown across Groveland Road, 25 miles north of Pocatello.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Idaho in 1993Every state in 1993This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Idaho, 1993Warnings in Idaho, May 1993

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10320603, 10320604, 10320861, 10320483, 10320764, 10320879, 10320556, 10320840, 10320844.