NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Preston, 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 Preston, Idaho since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 9
- 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 Preston
The highest rating among the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 6 times; the most recent, on September 17, 1989, came within 14 miles. Of the 9, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and none has come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 5, 1995. Of the 90 Idaho cities on this site, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Preston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 10 times since 1958, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 90 Idaho cities, 48% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Preston.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Preston
By decade
- 1990s1
- 1980s7
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 1989 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1987 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1986 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1986 | F1 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1982 | F1 | 5 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1981 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1995 | F0 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1987 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 1968 | F0 | 22 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Preston
The Storm Prediction Center has 10 hail reports within 10 miles of Preston since 1958, made on 9 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently August 22, 2018. The most recent report is from August 22, 2018. August has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Preston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Preston, ID, 6 miles southwest of Preston at 4,719 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 54°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 15°F. May is the wettest at 2.2 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 17.3 inches over 51 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 175 nights a year. Snowfall averages 52.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 17.3 inches is more than at 42 of the 66 Idaho stations used on this site (64%). Lewiston, UT, 14 miles south, has its own station (Trenton, UT): 16.9 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 15 | 1.7 | 5 | 13.5 |
| Feb | 38 | 18 | 1.4 | 5 | 10.8 |
| Mar | 50 | 27 | 1.5 | 5 | 5.1 |
| Apr | 59 | 33 | 1.9 | 6 | 3.0 |
| May | 69 | 40 | 2.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 79 | 47 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 54 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 52 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 43 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 33 | 1.6 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 47 | 24 | 1.2 | 4 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 34 | 17 | 1.6 | 5 | 14.1 |
| Year | 60 | 34 | 17.3 | 51 | 52.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Preston, ID (4,719 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 Preston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 19 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Preston: 15 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $48,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 93 mph, on March 25, 2006.
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
Franklin County, which includes Preston, 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 Franklin County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.4 million a year, the 36th highest of 44 Idaho counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.9 million (53%), 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 Preston
- Lewiston, UT14 mi
- Richmond, UT17 mi
- Smithfield, UT23 mi
- Hyde Park, UT25 mi
- Grace, ID25 mi
- Malad City, ID26 mi
- Montpelier, ID28 mi
- Logan, UT29 mi
- Mendon, UT32 mi
- Providence, UT32 mi
- Garland, UT32 mi
- Millville, UT33 mi
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