Idaho, 2026

Lightning Strike in Idaho, June 25, 2026

June 25, 2026 · NWS PIH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An early morning thunderstorms had lighting strike a tree downing it damaging a neighboring house.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$6,000
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PIH wrote it up.

An early morning thunderstorms had lighting strike a tree downing it damaging a neighboring house.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 25, 4:39 AM MST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Red Flag Warning Today: A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Fire Weather Zone 413 from 9 AM this morning until midnight tonight. Scattered high-based dry thunderstorms are expected to produce frequent lightning strikes and erratic, localized microburst outflows of 35 to 55 mph.
  • Widespread Friday Wind Event: Strong non-convective gradient winds of 20 to 40 mph will develop Friday ahead of an incoming storm system. While winds will be gusty, surging relative humidity levels should prevent widespread critical fire thresholds.
  • Weekend Cooldown: An unseasonably strong low pressure system arrives this weekend, bringing a dramatic transition to well below normal temperatures. Sunday will be the coldest day, featuring mountain snow and valley highs in the 50s and lower 60s — roughly 20 degrees below normal.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 25, 4:39 AM MST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pocatello ID
539 AM MDT Thu Jun 25 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Red Flag Warning Today: A Red Flag Warning has been issued
  for Fire Weather Zone 413 from 9 AM this morning until
  midnight tonight. Scattered high-based dry thunderstorms are
  expected to produce frequent lightning strikes and erratic,
  localized microburst outflows of 35 to 55 mph.

- Widespread Friday Wind Event: Strong non-convective gradient
  winds of 20 to 40 mph will develop Friday ahead of an incoming
  storm system. While winds will be gusty, surging relative
  humidity levels should prevent widespread critical fire
  thresholds.

- Weekend Cooldown: An unseasonably strong low pressure system
  arrives this weekend, bringing a dramatic transition to well
  below normal temperatures. Sunday will be the coldest day,
  featuring mountain snow and valley highs in the 50s and lower
  60s — roughly 20 degrees below normal.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 147 AM MDT Thu Jun 25 2026

Isolated nocturnal convection has continued across eastern
Idaho early this morning, producing occasional lightning strikes
and localized gusty winds around 30 mph. High-resolution
convective-allowing models (CAMs) show this early activity
diminishing slightly over the next few hours before increasing
in coverage again later this morning and continuing into the
afternoon and evening. The primary focus area for afternoon
development looks to be across the central mountains, along the
Montana divide, and into the eastern highlands, though some
isolated activity could sneak into the Snake Plain as well. Much
like recent days, these will be high-based storms driving virga
with very little rain actually reaching the surface. However,
the atmosphere is moistening up slightly, so we could see a bit
more measurable precipitation than yesterday.

Winds will transition to a more widespread, non-convective
gradient event on Friday as a powerful, unseasonably deep low-
pressure system approaches the Intermountain West. Widespread
gusts of 20 to 40 mph are expected with some wind headlines
likely being needed for portions of the area Friday. Precip will
move into the western half of the area by early afternoon
Friday and across the rest of the region by the time we hit
daybreak Saturday AM.

The core of this unseasonably strong upper-level low will swing
directly across the region over the weekend, delivering a
dramatic transition to well below normal temperatures. Sunday
will mark the thermal trough of the event, standing out as the
coldest day of the week. Afternoon maximum temperatures will
struggle to escape the 50s and lower 60s across low-elevation
valleys, representing a remarkable anomaly of roughly 20 degrees
below normal for late June and putting several record low max
temperatures in jeopardy. The highest mountain peaks and ridges
will likely see periods of accumulating snow. Furthermore, the
region will pivot from limited moisture to a widespread soaking
rain event, with storm-total liquid accumulations projected to
exceed 0.50" across some of the higher terrain. Valley locations
will likely be limited to a few tenths of an inch at best, but
the exact track is still in flux. Lingering showers will persist
over northern zones on Monday before a high-pressure ridge
ushers in a drying and moderating trend by the middle part of
next week and into July.

&&

.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/...
Issued at 535 AM MDT Thu Jun 25 2026

VFR conditions in place this morning across eastern Idaho. This
biggest issue today will be showers and thunderstorms, namely of
the dry variety, developing later this morning and continuing
into the afternoon and evening hours and have maintained vicinity
at all sites. Winds today are not expected to be impactful
unless near any thunderstorm outflow boundaries in which
erratic gusts of 25-35 kts will be possible.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 147 AM MDT Thu Jun 25 2026

A Red Flag Warning is in effect for Fire Weather Zone 413 from 9
AM this morning until midnight tonight due to scattered dry
thunderstorms and erratic outflow winds. Across the rest of
eastern Idaho, a deep mid-level moisture profile passing over an
exceptionally dry boundary layer will yield high-based virga,
dry lightning, and gusty outflow winds but generally more
isolated in nature keeping the dry lightning risk elevated but
below warning criteria. Friday introduces a widespread gusty
wind event with non-convective gusts of 20 to 40 mph, though
rapidly surging relative humidity levels should stave off
widespread critical wind/RH thresholds. Scattered thunderstorm
coverage is expected Friday across most of the central mountains
and zone 411 but with an increase in wetting rainfall potential
as well so a Red Flag issuance isn't a sure thing and will
likely need to be coordinated later today. A complete seasonal
reset occurs this weekend as a powerful low delivers cold
temperatures, high humidity, mountain snow, and widespread
wetting rains exceeding 0.25" for the mountains, though valley
Zones 410 and 425 will remain comparatively dry with totals
likely falling between 0.10" and 0.25". We begin to dry out and
warm up once again as we get into the middle part of next week.

&&

.PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Red Flag Warning from 9 AM this morning to midnight MDT
tonight for IDZ413.

&&

DISCUSSION...McKaughan
AVIATION...McKaughan
FIRE WEATHER...McKaughan

The radar

The Pocatello radar (KSFX), 140 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:16 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Blaine

When
June 25, 6:15 AM MST to 6:30 AM MST
Where
Blaine County, Hailey
Property damage
$6,000
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
43.520, -114.320

An early morning thunderstorms had lighting strike a tree downing it damaging a neighboring house.

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Idaho in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, June 2026

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: 1357091.