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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Caldwell, 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 Caldwell, Idaho since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
0

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
23

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Caldwell

The highest rating among the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 7 times; the most recent, on May 17, 1996, came within 15 miles. Of the 23, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2023. Caldwell has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 90 Idaho cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1956, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Caldwell has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 90 Idaho cities.

Compare Caldwell's storm record with another city →

Tornadoes within 25 miles of Caldwell

By decade

  • 2020s2
  • 2000s9
  • 1990s5
  • 1980s3
  • 1970s1
  • 1960s2
  • 1950s1
Strongest tornadoes near Caldwell, Idaho
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 17, 1996F115 mi0.3 mi0 / 0
Jun 19, 1991F117 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Oct 26, 1984F118 mi0.3 mi0 / 0
Mar 21, 1984F121 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Apr 23, 1974F121 mi1 mi0 / 0
Aug 25, 1966F120 mi19.1 mi0 / 0
Jul 9, 1956F111 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
May 26, 2023EF012 mi0.95 mi0 / 0
May 27, 2022EF016 mi3.77 mi0 / 0
Aug 25, 2004F014 mi—0 / 0
Aug 25, 2004F05 mi—0 / 0
Apr 6, 2003F09 mi1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 23, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Caldwell

The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Caldwell since 1956, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 25, 2018, the most recent report. April and May have the most reports, 4 each.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Caldwell since 2019 →

Weather by month in Caldwell

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Deer Flat Dam, ID, 7 miles south of Caldwell at 2,510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 59°F; December is the coolest, at 40°F and 24°F. January and May are the wettest at 1.2 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 10.2 inches over 32 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 106 nights a year. That 10.2 inches is more than at 11 of the 66 Idaho stations used on this site (17%). Middleton, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Nampa Sugar Factory, ID): 11.2 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 90°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Deer Flat Dam, ID
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan40251.25
Feb47271.03
Mar58341.13
Apr65381.14
May73461.24
Jun81520.73
Jul90590.31
Aug89570.21
Sep80490.41
Oct66390.83
Nov50311.13
Dec40241.14
Year654010.232

Averages for 1991–2020 at Deer Flat Dam, ID (2,510 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.

Idaho weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Caldwell

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 33 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Caldwell: 25 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 2 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $8.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 7, 1996.

  • July 13, 2002: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Caldwell — 4 injured.

  • October 19, 2019: thunderstorm wind in Caldwell — 2 injured.

    NWS: “The public in Caldwell reported several large trees and power lines down.”

  • June 26, 2026: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Caldwell — $7.0 million damage.

    NWS: “Timing estimated by MRMS, polygon focused on the area with the largest impact and intentionally kept broad. Numerous reports received of flooded roadways, some impassable; flooding also affected houses, public buildings, and infrastructure.”

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

Canyon County, which includes Caldwell, has been named in 4 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2005, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 9, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Canyon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.1 million a year, the 4th highest of 44 Idaho counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.8 million (66%), 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 Caldwell