Tornadoes · United States

Tornadoes in Idaho

226 tornadoes since 1950, an average of 3.0 a year, 35th of the 53 states and territories in the record. They have killed 0 people and injured 11. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The strongest

  1. F2, Adams County, IdahoJune 4, 2006F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  2. F2, Nez Perce County, IdahoMay 8, 1962F2, 9.1 mi (15 km)
  3. F2, Kootenai County, IdahoMay 31, 1997F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  4. F2, Power County, IdahoAugust 17, 1990F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  5. F2, Bonneville County, IdahoApril 7, 1978F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  6. F2, Bonner County, IdahoApril 9, 1991F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Madison County, IdahoSeptember 26, 1959F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, Minidoka County, IdahoSeptember 11, 1968F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  9. F2, Minidoka County, IdahoMay 18, 1991F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Jerome County, IdahoJune 9, 1990F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  11. F1, Jefferson County, IdahoMarch 23, 1988F1, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  12. F1, Bingham County, IdahoFebruary 14, 2000F1, 14.0 mi (23 km)

The longest paths

  1. F1, Jefferson County, IdahoMarch 23, 198815.0 mi (24 km)
  2. F1, Bingham County, IdahoFebruary 14, 200014.0 mi (23 km)
  3. EF1, Bingham County, IdahoMay 31, 201812.0 mi (19 km)
  4. F2, Adams County, IdahoJune 4, 200612.0 mi (19 km)
  5. F1, Bingham and Bonneville counties, IdahoFebruary 14, 200012.0 mi (19 km)
  6. F1, Bannock County, IdahoJune 11, 199310.0 mi (16 km)
  7. F2, Nez Perce County, IdahoMay 8, 19629.1 mi (15 km)
  8. F1, Bingham County, IdahoFebruary 14, 20009.0 mi (14 km)
  9. F0, Power County, IdahoFebruary 14, 20009.0 mi (14 km)
  10. F1, Madison and Fremont counties, IdahoMay 15, 19848.0 mi (13 km)
  11. EF0, Caribou County, IdahoSeptember 5, 20077.5 mi (12 km)
  12. EF0, Jefferson County, IdahoJuly 11, 20157.4 mi (12 km)

The costliest

  1. F1, Bingham County, IdahoFebruary 14, 2000$2.2 million
  2. F1, Bingham and Bonneville counties, IdahoFebruary 14, 2000$500,000
  3. F0, Power County, IdahoFebruary 14, 2000$380,000
  4. F1, Bingham County, IdahoFebruary 14, 2000$280,000
  5. F0, Bingham County, IdahoMarch 25, 2006$210,000
  6. F0, Blaine County, IdahoMay 5, 2005$110,000
  7. F0, Bannock County, IdahoFebruary 14, 2000$110,000
  8. F2, Adams County, IdahoJune 4, 2006$100,000
  9. F0, Bonner County, IdahoJune 25, 2004$100,000
  10. F1, Davis County, IdahoJune 1, 2002$60,000
  11. F1, Power County, IdahoJuly 20, 1999$50,000
  12. F2, Kootenai County, IdahoMay 31, 1997$50,000

The biggest days in Idaho

  1. October 4, 20065tornadoes
  2. February 14, 20005tornadoes
  3. August 3, 20004tornadoes
  4. May 31, 19974tornadoes
  5. June 15, 19934tornadoes
  6. April 28, 20033tornadoes
  7. March 17, 19933tornadoes
  8. August 17, 19903tornadoes
  9. April 20, 19883tornadoes
  10. May 26, 20232tornadoes
  11. May 31, 20182tornadoes
  12. September 17, 20132tornadoes

Every year

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesF4 and above
20252
20241
20234
20221
20195
20184
20171
20162
20151
20143
20136
20122
20112
20102
20092
20082
20073
200691
20056
20045
20034
20023
20012
2000131
19991
199871
19976
19964
199581
19943
1993112
19924
199111
19909
19892
19889
198773
198610
19853
19844
19832
19821
19812
19801
19791
197822
19732
19722
19691
19681
19675
19642
19623
19614
19592
19581
19571
19565
19551
19543

Every county in Idaho

A tornado is counted once for every county its path crossed, so these add up to more than 226. Each county has a page of its own: every tornado that crossed it, year by year.

CountyTornadoesDeaths
Bingham County20
Jefferson County19
Power County17
Ada County13
Twin Falls County12
Cassia County10
Butte County8
Clark County8
Bannock County7
Blaine County7
Bonneville County6
Canyon County6
Gooding County6
Jerome County6
Madison County6
Minidoka County6
Elmore County5
Fremont County5
Owyhee County5
Bonner County4
Camas County4
Caribou County4
Latah County4
Lincoln County4
Adams County3
Franklin County3
Lemhi County3
Nez Perce County3
Oneida County3
Washington County3
Bear Lake County2
Custer County2
Gem County2
Idaho County2
Kootenai County2
Payette County2
Clinton County2
Clearwater County1
Lewis County1
Shoshone County1
Teton County1
Davis County1

Nearby

Warnings in force in IdahoForecast for your townThe live radar over Idaho

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.