NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Priest River, 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 Priest River, Idaho since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 5
- 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 Priest River
The highest rating among the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 1991, came within 9 miles. Of the 5, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2004. Of the 90 Idaho cities on this site, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Priest River. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 7 times since 1997, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 90 Idaho cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Priest River.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Priest River
By decade
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1991 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1978 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1994 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 1978 | F1 | 16 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 25, 2004 | F0 | 10 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Priest River
The Storm Prediction Center has 7 hail reports within 10 miles of Priest River since 1997. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 4 days, most recently June 24, 2020. The most recent report is from June 24, 2020.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Priest River
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Priest Rvr Exp Stn, ID, 4 miles northeast of Priest River at 2,371 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 48°F; December is the coolest, at 31°F and 22°F. December is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 32.7 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 190 nights a year. Snowfall averages 73.9 inches a year, most of it in December. That 32.7 inches is more than at 61 of the 66 Idaho stations used on this site (92%). Newport, WA, 16 miles southwest, has its own station (Deer Park Airport, WA): 22.5 inches a year, 10.2 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 22 | 4.0 | 11 | 21.8 |
| Feb | 37 | 22 | 2.6 | 7 | 11.3 |
| Mar | 46 | 26 | 3.4 | 9 | 5.4 |
| Apr | 57 | 31 | 2.5 | 7 | 0.3 |
| May | 68 | 39 | 2.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 74 | 44 | 2.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 48 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 46 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 39 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 54 | 32 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 38 | 27 | 4.2 | 10 | 9.2 |
| Dec | 31 | 22 | 4.5 | 11 | 25.7 |
| Year | 56 | 33 | 32.7 | 85 | 73.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Priest Rvr Exp Stn, ID (2,371 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.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Bonner County, which includes Priest River, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 3 fires, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bonner County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.4 million a year, the 5th highest of 44 Idaho counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.7 million (78%), 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 Priest River
- Oldtown, ID11 mi
- Newport, WA16 mi
- Sandpoint, ID17 mi
- Sagle, ID18 mi
- Spirit Lake, ID24 mi
- Elk, WA25 mi
- Athol, ID28 mi
- Chattaroy, WA33 mi
- Rathdrum, ID34 mi
- Loon Lake, WA35 mi
- Deer Park, WA36 mi
- Mead, WA38 mi
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