Thunderstorm Wind, Idaho
- When
- July 24, 4:00 PM PST to 7:30 PM PST
- Where
- Idaho County, 6.12 mi W of Lucile to 56.84 mi NE of Lowell
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph) estimated gust
- Injuries
- 0 direct, 1 indirect
- Property damage
- $450,000
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
- Coordinates
- 45.547, -116.444
Hurricane force winds caused hundreds of trees, of all types, and diameters up to 2 feet wide, to be either uprooted or snapped in half along the track of the derecho from between Grangeville and Pollock, east and north towards Lolo Pass. Much of the Lochsa Corridor east of Kooskia sustained massive wind damage, and blocked access to many main and side roads. Multiple people were trapped for hours until people came to cut up the trees with chainsaws. Around 58 trees had to be cut along Forest Service road 221 southeast of Grangeville. A large willow tree fell on a house in Pollock and totaled it. A woman was injured from falling trees near Moose Creek where trees snapped off 20 feet above the ground and some damaged the ranger station there. Multiple vehicles, campers and infrastructure were either damaged or totaled at the Powell, Wendover, and Whitehouse campgrounds. The forest service estimates that 1 out of every 6 leave trees were uprooted in portions of their forest. Other impacts include: widespread power outages that lasted for days, multiple power poles damaged, at least 69 lightning-caused wildfires, 911 call center was inundated with 100s of calls, a motorcyclist was run off the road on U.S. Highway 12, and rock slides between mileposts 128 and 133 on U.S. 12. One of the lightning strikes triggered the Wye fire which turned into a large, 11,000 acre Moose Creek Complex. The emergency manager of Idaho County mentioned that some areas saw some of the worst damage they had ever experienced.