High Wind in Idaho, May 13, 2026

Name: High Wind in Idaho, May 13, 2026
Start: 2026-05-13T15:15
End: 2026-05-13T17:15
Location: Idaho

May 13, 2026 · NWS BOI · 9 events in 2 counties and zones

On May 13th, a strong cold front moved across the Intermountain West. A tight surface pressure gradient along and behind of this front resulted in strong northwesterly winds across southwest and south central Idaho.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOI wrote it up.

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 Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 1:27 PM MST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

A cold front today will bring very gusty winds, blowing dust, and thunderstorms through this evening.
Just above normal temps through Friday before another cooldown this weekend, conditions stay dry and breezy.
Another round of precipitation this weekend with lower snow levels will bring snow to higher elevations.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 1:27 PM MST, 1 hour 48 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
227 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...
- A cold front today will bring very gusty winds, blowing dust,
  and thunderstorms through this evening.

- Just above normal temps through Friday before another
  cooldown this weekend, conditions stay dry and breezy.

- Another round of precipitation this weekend with lower snow
  levels will bring snow to higher elevations.

&&

.SHORT TERM /Through Friday Night/...
The ongoing cold frontal passage has brought very gusty winds to
the forecast area today. Wind gusts 40-60 mph in open areas, and
20-30 mph in sheltered valleys are widespread, thus a wind
advisory has been issued to highlight the areas with the
strongest winds. The wind has also kicked up dust from dry
lakebeds, playas, and dry agricultural areas. Visibility has
been reduced as low as 1 mile near the dust sources, while most
of the area sees a general haziness. As the front moves
eastward, a few more hours of storms are possible in the Magic
Valley before precipitation moves out of the area. Gusts up to
60 mph and lightning are possible in storms. However, the dry
atmosphere will limit precipitation rates. The weather will
taper off tonight, with the Wind Advisory set to expire on the
Idaho side around midnight.

Thursday and Friday conditions remain dry and breezy and tight
zonal flow sets in aloft. Behind the cold front, temps drop to
just above normal for this time of year. Afternoon minimum
relative humidities stay very low, and the dryness increases the
diurnal temperature spread to bring morning lows down to 5
degrees below normal.

&&

.LONG TERM /Saturday through Wednesday/...
A large trough will move on shore and across the Pacific Northwest
and Northern Rockies this weekend. This will bring a significant
cooling trend that will drop daytime temperatures to 10-15 degrees
below normal by Sunday along with breezy to windy conditions in
northwest flow. Not much precipitation is expected from this system.
Saturday night and Sunday probability of precipitation is around a
30-50 percent over the northernmost mountain areas of our forecast
area, including McCall, and about 20-30 percent for high terrain
across the south. Snow levels will lower to about 4000-5000 feet.
From Monday through Wednesday of next week, our area will mostly
stay under a dry west-northwest flow with temperatures trending up
to near seasonal normals.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z Wednesday through Thursday/...
Issued 1152 AM MDT WED MAY 13 2026
VFR except areas of MVFR in blowing dust. Isolated to scattered
showers and thunderstorms this afternoon from KBKE to KMYL area
and Western Magic Valley. A strong cold front will continue
moving east across SW Idaho with strong W-NW winds behind the
front. Surface winds W-NW 20-30 kt with gusts 30-40 kt behind
the front. Strongest gusts 40-50 kt near KMUO, KTWF, and KJER.
Winds aloft at 10kft MSL: SSW 20-25 kt, then W-NW 25-30 kt after
Thu/00Z

&&

.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Wind Advisory until midnight MDT tonight for IDZ012-014>016-
     028>030.
OR...Wind Advisory until midnight MDT /11 PM PDT/ tonight for
     ORZ064.
     Wind Advisory until 6 PM MDT /5 PM PDT/ this evening for
     ORZ061-063.
&&

www.weather.gov/Boise

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SHORT TERM...JM
LONG TERM....TL
AVIATION.....TL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Magic Valley

When: May 13, 3:15 PM MST
Where: Western Magic Valley forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.672, -114.581 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Magic Valley

When: May 13, 3:15 PM MST
Where: Western Magic Valley forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.672, -114.581 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Upper Treasure Valley

When: May 13, 3:23 PM MST
Where: Upper Treasure Valley forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 43.129, -115.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Upper Treasure Valley

When: May 13, 3:45 PM MST
Where: Upper Treasure Valley forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 43.129, -115.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Magic Valley

When: May 13, 3:49 PM MST
Where: Western Magic Valley forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.672, -114.581 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Magic Valley

When: May 13, 4:15 PM MST
Where: Western Magic Valley forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.672, -114.581 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Magic Valley

When: May 13, 4:23 PM MST
Where: Western Magic Valley forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 42.672, -114.581 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Magic Valley

When: May 13, 4:30 PM MST
Where: Western Magic Valley forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.672, -114.581 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Magic Valley

When: May 13, 5:15 PM MST
Where: Western Magic Valley forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 42.672, -114.581 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, May 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: 1328496, 1328497, 1328502, 1328501, 1328493, 1328500, 1328498, 1328499, 1328494.