Idaho, 1997

Flash Flood in Idaho, May 16, 1997

May 16, 1997 · NWS BOI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

The radar

The Boise radar (KCBX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Owyhee

When
May 16, 8:30 PM MST to 9:30 PM MST
Where
Owyhee County, 15 mi SE of Murphy
Coordinates
42.582, -116.170 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A very slow moving thunderstorm dumped heavy rain upon the Owyhee Mountains of Southwest Idaho. Flash flooding ensued which left one foot of water on highway 78. Numerous dry washes and gullies were flowing with water.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Idaho in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, May 1997

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: 5604363.