NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Idaho 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 Idaho Falls, Idaho since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 24
- 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 Idaho Falls
The strongest of the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on April 7, 1978; its path passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 24, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on October 27, 2025. Idaho Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 90 Idaho cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Idaho Falls has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 90 Idaho cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Idaho Falls
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s6
- 1990s3
- 1980s8
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 1978 | F2 | in town | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 1, 2002 | F1 | 15 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F1 | 9 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F1 | 3 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F1 | 24 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1992 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1991 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 17, 1988 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 17, 1988 | F1 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 1988 | F1 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1981 | F1 | 12 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1980 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Idaho Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Idaho Falls since 1962, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on September 13, 2001. The most recent report is from August 5, 2023. June has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Idaho Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Idaho Falls - Kifi, ID, in Idaho Falls at 4,742 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 1.9 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 13.6 inches over 41 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 166 nights a year. That 13.6 inches is more than at 36 of the 66 Idaho stations used on this site (55%). Shelley, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Idaho Falls Fanning Field, ID): 10.3 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 16 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Feb | 36 | 20 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 1.4 | 4 |
| May | 67 | 42 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Jun | 77 | 49 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Jul | 86 | 55 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Aug | 86 | 54 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Sep | 75 | 45 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Oct | 59 | 35 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Nov | 43 | 25 | 1.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 31 | 17 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Year | 58 | 35 | 13.6 | 41 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Idaho Falls - Kifi, ID (4,742 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 Idaho Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 77 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Idaho Falls: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 lightning strikes, 6 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $7.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 71 mph, on August 6, 2010. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 62 Idaho cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 52 have had fewer than Idaho Falls.
August 20, 2011: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Idaho Falls — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Early on August 21st a thunderstorm caused trees to into a house on Pioneer Road in Idaho Falls killing an 82 year old man in his bedroom. Trees were also downed on East Lincoln Road.”
July 2, 2022: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Idaho Falls — 1 injured, $800,000 damage.
NWS: “A 2 story 5,000 square foot residence was struck by lightning causing a large fire. It occurred 2 miles northeast of Iona along E.”
July 28, 2021: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Idaho Falls — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 60 year old man was struck by lightning at 1240 PM in the back parking lot of Love's Travel Stop in Idaho Falls at South 45th West. He was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for treatment.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Idaho Falls's 3 ZIP codes have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $58,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 19 Idaho cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 7 have fewer than Idaho Falls.
Bonneville County, which includes Idaho Falls, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1964, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 fire, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 9, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bonneville County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $64.7 million a year, the 2nd highest of 44 Idaho counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.3 million (38%), 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 Idaho Falls
- Ammon, ID4 mi
- Shelley, ID11 mi
- Iona, ID11 mi
- Rigby, ID14 mi
- Rexburg, ID24 mi
- Blackfoot, ID28 mi
- Sugar City, ID29 mi
- Saint Anthony, ID35 mi
- Chubbuck, ID42 mi
- Victor, ID44 mi
- Driggs, ID48 mi
- Tetonia, ID48 mi
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