Tornadoes · United States · Idaho · 2005

F0 tornado, Terreton, Idaho, June 4, 2005

This F0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Jefferson County on June 4, 2005, touching down at 7:28 PM MDT and reaching 30 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $10,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mphthis tornado

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

  2. F173 to 112 mph

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

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    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. F3158 to 206 mph

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

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

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

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    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 record

Rating
F0
Date
June 4, 2005
Touchdown
7:28 PM MDT (01:28 UTC)
Path length
0.2 miles (0.3 km)
Path width
30 yards (27 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
County
Jefferson County
Touchdown point
43.830, -112.470
Lift-off point
43.830, -112.470
Record number
204

What the Weather Service recorded

Tornado in Mud Lake area. Several trees downed and one tractor moved across highway and rolled over.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
01:30 UTC02:15 UTCTornado WarningPIH

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a General Thunderstorms Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 00:55 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Jun 4, 2:52 PM MDT, 4 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 4, 2:52 PM MDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO IDAHO
250 PM MDT SAT JUNE 4 2005

.DISCUSSION...CONVECTION DEVELOPED THIS AFTN OVER THE CEN MTNS AND
THE ERN HIGHLANDS IN THE AREAS OF GREATEST INSTABILITY. NOT MUCH
SURPRISE WITH THAT. LOOKS LIKE CONVECTION WILL STAY OUT OF THE SNAKE
RIVER PLAIN FOR NOW. ALL SHOULD DIE OUT AROUND 03Z WITH THE LOSS OF
SFC HEATING.

NEXT SYSTEM...A MAJOR UPPER LOW...IS STILL ON TRACK FOR SUNDAY.  THE
GFS HAS STRENGTHENING SW UPPER FLOW BY 18Z...WITH A SFC FRONT
NEARING THE WRN CWA. UPPER FLOW REMAINS MOSTLY PARALLEL TO
FRONT...SO MOVEMENT WILL BE SLOW.  THIS SHOULD RESULT IN THE BULK OF
THE PRECIP ALONG AND BEHIND THE FRONT.  ETA STILL SHOWING MILDLY
UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE CWA SUNDAY AFTN. THIS...ALONG WITH A STRONG
UPPER SYSTEM AND LOW LEVEL MSTR TRANSPORT SUGGESTS SOME STRONGER
TSTM POTENTIAL.  ALSO OF NOTE IS STP HAS OUTLOOKED MUCH OF THE CWA
FOR SLGT SVR ON SUNDAY. ETA BUFR SOUNDINGS FOR KPIH SUNDAY AFTN SHOW
THE INVERTED V PROFILE...SO CAN EXPECT SOME WINDS ALONG WITH HAIL
POTENTIAL. THE COLD FRONT MOVES OUT OF THE CWA EARLY MONDAY MORNING.
ETA SHOWING A TIGHT POST FRONTAL PRES GRADIENT. OVERNIGHT SUNDAY...
SO WILL BE EXPECTING WINDY CONDITIONS INTO MON MORNING.  TEMPS WILL
TAKE A SIGNIFICANT DROP FROM SUN TO MON.

FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST PERIOD...A SERIES OF UPPER LOWS PLAGUE
THE PAC NW. THIS WILL RESULT IN AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF COOL AND WET
CONDITIONS. HAVE MADE NO SIG CHANGES TO THE THE EXTENDED PERIOD.
HEDGES

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE CENTRAL AND
EASTERN IDAHO HIGHLANDS UNTIL AROUND 02Z. A FEW CELLS MAY CONTAIN
GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.  WAW

.PIH WATCHES/WARNING/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

WEATHER INFORMATION ON-LINE 24-HOURS A DAY
(ALL LOWER-CASE LETTERS)

WWW.WEATHER.GOV/POCATELLO
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 4, 5:15 AM MDT, 14 hours 13 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID
515 AM MDT SAT JUN 4 2005

IDZ017>025-031-032-051200-
LOST RIVER/PAHSIMEROI-CACHE VALLEY/IDAHO PORTION-
SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-WASATCH MOUNTAINS/IDAHO PORTION-
LOWER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN-SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS-EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY-
BIG AND LITTLE WOOD RIVER REGION-UPPER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN-
CARIBOU HIGHLANDS-UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS-
515 AM MDT SAT JUN 4 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO

.DAY ONE...
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE WYOMING BORDER THIS
AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH SOUTHEAST IDAHO SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND
NIGHT.  THIS FRONT...COUPLED WITH MODERATE INSTABILITY AND
SIGNIFICANT UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS COULD PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER IN
FORM OF LARGE HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH SCATTERED
TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS.  THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK WILL CONTINUE
TO BE UNSETTLED WITH COOL AND SHOWERY CONDITIONS LIKELY TO PERSIST.

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
WE ASK ALL TRAINED SPOTTERS TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS.
THIS WOULD INCLUDE ALL HAIL...WIND...AND HEAVY RAIN AND SNOW
REPORTS.  THIS INFORMATION SHOULD BE CALLED INTO THE LOCAL NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN POCATELLO USING THE 1-800 SEVERE WEATHER
HOTLINE...OR OTHER STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

DSH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 4, 6:03 PM MDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO/IDAHO FALLS ID
603 PM MDT SAT JUN 04 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0602 PM     HAIL             3 S POCATELLO           42.83N 112.47W
06/04/2005  0.25 INCH        BANNOCK            ID   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MINK CREEK - SOUTH OF TOWN - 5100 FEET. ALSO HEAVY RAIN.

&&

PANGEL
Local storm report, Jun 4, 7:28 PM MDT, 0 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO/IDAHO FALLS ID
728 PM MDT SAT JUN 04 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0726 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     10 N MUD LAKE           43.99N 112.48W
06/04/2005                   JEFFERSON          ID   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

PANGEL

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Boise Airport, ID (KBOI), 00:00Z

1.5 hours before the tornado, 301 km from the path. June 5, 2005.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Boise Airport, ID at 00:00Z on 2005-06-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -79230, lifted condensation level 3435 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Boise Airport, ID at 00:00Z on 2005-06-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -8 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 12 knots.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-79230 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3435 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
9.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Boise Airport, ID (KBOI), 12:00Z

10.5 hours after it, 301 km from the path. June 5, 2005.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Boise Airport, ID at 12:00Z on 2005-06-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -16285, lifted condensation level 2858 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Boise Airport, ID at 12:00Z on 2005-06-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 223 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 33 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16285 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2858 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
285 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Idaho Falls/Fanning (IDA), 48 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
23:53 UTC6842190° 12 kt1011.2
00:53 UTC6543170° 13 kt1010.8
01:18 UTC64.442.8170° 10 kt1010.8FC
01:38 UTC64.442.8160° 11 kt1010.8
01:53 UTC6442170° 10 kt1010.8
02:53 UTC6141170° 11 kt1010.5

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Pocatello radar (KSFX), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:30 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2005 tornado in IdahoEvery tornado in Idaho since 1950Warnings in force in Idaho nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 4, 2005

43 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 41:18 AM CDTF0Chautauqua, KS0.5110
June 41:43 AM CDTF0Montgomery, KS0.5110
June 46:35 AM CDTF0Cass, MO0.550
June 46:50 AM CDTF1Johnson, MO8.0752$1.1 million
June 412:30 PM MDTF0Keith, NE4.025
June 42:54 PM CDTF0Waushara, WI0.275
June 43:05 PM CDTF0Waushara, WI0.150
June 43:30 PM CDTF0McPherson, NE0.125
June 44:15 PM CDTF0McPherson, NE0.125
June 44:18 PM CDTF2Brown, KS3.0100$400,000
June 44:27 PM CDTF1Clark, WI17.050$600,000
June 44:27 PM CDTF0Marathon, WI1.275
June 44:39 PM CDTF0Marathon, WI1.3100
June 45:17 PM CDTF0Taylor, WI0.220$30,000
June 45:30 PM CDTF1Pottawatomie, KS0.5100$250,000
June 45:32 PM CDTF0Andrew, MO1.050
June 46:06 PM CDTF0Marathon, WI0.125
June 46:07 PM CDTF0Comanche, OK3.5150
June 46:20 PM CDTF0Marathon, WI0.125
June 46:45 PM CDTF0Stephens, OK0.120
June 46:48 PM CDTF1Gentry, MO0.5100
June 46:50 PM CDTF1Worth, MO15.0100$180,000
June 46:53 PM CDTF0Stephens, OK0.120
June 46:57 PM CDTF0Cowley, KS0.555
June 47:05 PM CDTF0Stephens, OK0.275$1,000
June 47:05 PM CDTF0Cowley, KS3.055
June 47:06 PM CDTF0Gentry, MO1.050
June 47:10 PM CDTF1Harrison, MO5.0100
June 47:13 PM CDTF0Osage, OK1.075$50,000
June 47:15 PM CDTF1Ringgold, IA1.050
June 47:38 PM CDTF0Archer, TX0.230
June 47:40 PM CDTF0Gentry, MO0.550
June 47:44 PM CDTF0Doniphan, KS1.050
June 47:46 PM CDTF0Buchanan, MO7.550$300,000
June 47:53 PM CDTF0Andrew, MO3.050
June 48:02 PM CDTF0Greenwood, KS0.5110
June 48:18 PM CDTF0Marathon, WI0.125
June 48:27 PM CDTF0Taylor, WI0.325$10,000
June 48:54 PM CDTF0Daviess, MO0.550
June 49:45 PM CDTF0Union, SD0.150
June 49:50 PM CDTF0Plymouth, IA1.050
June 410:02 PM CDTF0Sioux, IA0.150
June 410:22 PM CDTF0Sioux, IA0.150

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.