Benewah County, Idaho severe weather history spans 50 recorded events between 1964 and 2024. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 36.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,053 nationally and #39 in Idaho.
50
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Benewah County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Benewah County, Idaho severe weather history averages 0.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 30 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 47 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $2.0M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Benewah County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 2008–2018 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 14 | 0 | $88K | 60 | 1964–2024 |
| Hail | 13 | 0 | $2K | 1.75 | 1998–2019 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2024–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Benewah County, Idaho severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Snow melt and periodic heavy rain during the month of March produced numerous debris flows and areal flooding issues across Benewah County. Numerous roads were damaged by flooding. Most notably debris flows and rock slides closed the road between Plummer and St. Maries, and flooding severely damaged State Highway 5 near Round Lake. Benewah County was included in an Idaho State State of Emergency Declaration as a result of this episode.
The St. Joe River Gage at St. Maries recorded a rise above the Flood Stage of 32.5 feet at 6:15 AM PST on March 15th. The river continued to rise through the Moderate Flood Stage by March 16th and passed through the Major Flood Stage of 38.0 feet at 9:15 AM March 19th. The river crested at 10:45 PM on March 19th at 39.2 feet. The river receded to below Major Flood Stage at 11:30 PM March 24th and dropped through the Moderate Flood Stage by the morning of March 25th. The river remained in Minor Flood through the end of March and into April.
The Palouse River Gage at Potlach, ID recorded a rise above the Flood Stage of 15.0 feet at 10:00 PM PST March 14th, cresting at 17.5 feet at 10:30 AM March 16th. The river dropped below Flood Stage during the evening of the 17th but then rose again above Flood Stage during the afternoon of the 19th cresting 15.6 feet before receding below Flood Stage for the end of the event during the evening of March 19th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,142
Population (ACS)
$294K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 4, 2021 | Severe Storm | STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Apr 9, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 18, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Benewah County, Idaho?
50 events are on record between 1964 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Benewah County?
Flood, with 18 recorded events — 36.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Benewah County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Benewah County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Benewah County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Benewah County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Benewah 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
- Bear Lake County 80
- Bingham County 285
- Bannock County 310
- Blaine County 114
- Adams County 35
- Boise County 99
Cite this page
“Benewah County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/benewah-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.