Bannock County, Idaho severe weather history spans 310 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,723 nationally and #1 in Idaho.
310
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$7.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Bannock County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bannock County, Idaho severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 290 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $3.0M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bannock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 110 | 0 | $458K | 72 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 80 | 0 | $1.0M | 2 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 40 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 22 | 0 | $701K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 20 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1996–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $136K | F1 | 1983–2007 |
| Wildfire | 5 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 2000–2003 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Bannock County, Idaho severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-02-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-04-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-08-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-06-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bannock County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 1998 | Lightning | INKOM | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 17, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hail from quarter to golfball-size occurred from Yellowstone Ave near Alameda to the lower Pocatello Creek area. Numerous vehicles (500+) and roofs(200+) in the area were damaged by hail. Specific hail reports within this area include: 1.75 inch hail 15th and Oak Street, 1.75 inch hail Maple Street and Yellowstone Ave, 1.5 inch hail near Poplar Street and Interstate 15, 1.25 inch hail at Channel 6 studio, 1.0 inch hail lower Pocatello Creek, and 1.0 inch hail Monte Vista.
One to two inches of rain was reported by spotters in Chubbuck and east areas of Pocatello. Doppler radar indicated 4 to 5 inches over a localized area of Old Town and west Pocatello. Several homes and businesses were flooded with some evacuations ordered. Roads closed in the city were Hiline Road to Griffith Road; Hiline Road to El Rancho Boulevard; the Center Street underpass; Pocatello Avenue; Oak Street westbound to Yellowstone Avenue; the intersection of Pole Line Road and Fir Street; the North Main extension at Praxair; and Garrett Way at the railroad tracks. Hawthorne Road near Interstate 86 was closed in Chubbuck. Raymond Park in Pocatello was under water. 2 to 3 feet of standing water near Costco and a roof caved in business near Center Street underpass. A mudslide was reported at West Custer Street and Highland Boulevard in Pocatello.
Flash flooding caused by as much a 2 inches of rain in a 2 hour period caused extensive flooding in the south portion of Pocatello. By 1:15 pm EDT 10th Street and Carter Avenue were completely flooded and not passable. The Juniper Hills and Riverside golf courses south of the city were completely underwater. South 5th Avenue was closed due to the water on the street. US 91 was closed from the South 5th exit to the Portneuf exit. 43 homes and several businesses were reported flooded. Water up to hoods of cars were reported on Bannock Highway near Riverside Golf Course. Water submerged cars in the Gables assisted living center on South Grant Avenue. Roads were closed throughout the Indian Hill section of Pocatello with knee deep water on most roads. A disaster area declaration was declared for Bannock County at 3:30 pm MDT. The rains created an 8 foot sink hole at Constitution Park. Sink holes developed at some local residences as deep as 12 feet. Extensive road damage occurred due to rushing debris.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
89,454
Population (ACS)
$301K
Median home value
5
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM |
| Sep 1, 2000 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Dec 31, 1964 | Flood | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Pocatello 217
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bannock County, Idaho?
310 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bannock County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 110 recorded events — 35.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bannock County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bannock County?
5 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bannock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bannock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bannock County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bannock County, Idaho severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Adams County 35
- Bear Lake County 80
- Ada County 214
- Benewah County 50
- Bingham County 285
- Blaine County 114
Cite this page
“Bannock County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/bannock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.