Idaho, 1996

Flooding in Idaho, May 17 to 20, 1996

May 17 to 20, 1996 · NWS BOI · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Due to warm temperatures and excessive rainfall several rivers rose above flood stage causing flood damage during this period. The Middle Fork of the Weiser River caused damage and sandbags were needed to protect one home.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
0
Property damage
$40,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOI wrote it up.

Due to warm temperatures and excessive rainfall several rivers rose above flood stage causing flood damage during this period. The Middle Fork of the Weiser River caused damage and sandbags were needed to protect one home. The Payette River at Emmett rose above flood stage causing a levee at Fruitland to fail. The high water also flooded a section of State Route 52 three miles east of New Plymouth, and several houses near Black's Bridge were flooded. In New Plymouth and Payette five homes were evacuated. In Southeastern Idaho, Henry's Fork river closed the Parker-Salem highway and caused lowland flooding near Rexberg. The Portneuf at Pocatello caused lowland flooding along Marsh Creek and between Inkom and Pocatello.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Northern Panhandle

When
May 17, 8:00 AM MST to May 20, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Panhandle forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
48.247, -116.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Idaho Palouse

When
May 17, 8:00 AM MST to May 20, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Idaho Palouse forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
47.017, -116.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Idaho in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, May 1996

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: 5553230, 5553231.