NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit American Falls, ID
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of American Falls, Idaho since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 19
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for American Falls
The strongest of the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on August 17, 1990; its path came within 5 miles. Of the 19, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 5 each. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2014. American Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 90 Idaho cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 7 times since 1969, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 90 Idaho cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than American Falls.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of American Falls
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s6
- 1990s6
- 1980s3
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 1990 | F2 | 5 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1999 | F1 | 17 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1986 | F1 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1981 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1964 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2014 | EF0 | 9 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2006 | F0 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2003 | F0 | 16 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2003 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 2001 | F0 | 6 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F0 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F0 | 5 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in American Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 7 hail reports within 10 miles of American Falls since 1969. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on April 28, 2003. The most recent report is from June 9, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in American Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is American Falls, ID, 7 miles northeast of American Falls at 4,510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 1.5 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 11.1 inches over 36 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. That 11.1 inches is more than at 23 of the 66 Idaho stations used on this site (35%). Aberdeen, 16 miles north, has its own station (Aberdeen Exp Stn, ID): 9.7 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Feb | 39 | 21 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 52 | 29 | 1.0 | 4 |
| Apr | 60 | 35 | 1.3 | 4 |
| May | 71 | 43 | 1.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 79 | 50 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Jul | 90 | 56 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Aug | 88 | 55 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Sep | 77 | 46 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Oct | 61 | 36 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Nov | 47 | 27 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 35 | 20 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Year | 61 | 36 | 11.1 | 36 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at American Falls, ID (4,510 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near American Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 36 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of American Falls: 24 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $317,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 78 mph, on March 10, 2011. Of the 62 Idaho cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 58 have had fewer than American Falls.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Power County, which includes American Falls, has been named in 5 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 fire, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 9, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Power County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.1 million a year, the 32nd highest of 44 Idaho counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.1 million (16%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near American Falls
- Aberdeen, ID16 mi
- Pocatello, ID25 mi
- Chubbuck, ID29 mi
- Inkom, ID35 mi
- Rupert, ID36 mi
- Blackfoot, ID41 mi
- Heyburn, ID46 mi
- Paul, ID48 mi
- Burley, ID48 mi
- Malad City, ID49 mi
- Shelley, ID59 mi
- Hazelton, ID59 mi
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