Bonner County, Idaho severe weather history spans 125 recorded events between 1964 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,796 nationally and #15 in Idaho.
125
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$12.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Bonner County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bonner County, Idaho severe weather history averages 2.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 43 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 112 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bonner County, Idaho record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $6.6M 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 Bonner County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 57 | 2 | $5.0M | 65 | 1964–2024 |
| Hail | 29 | 0 | $6K | 1.75 | 1983–2025 |
| Flood | 22 | 0 | $6.6M | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $375K | F2 | 1978–2004 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Debris Flow | 4 | 0 | $52K | 0 | 2014–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Bonner County, Idaho severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-19 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bonner County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | SANDPOINT | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 25, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOPE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jul 23, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKEVIEW | 0 | 2 | $2.0M |
| Jun 29, 2013 | Lightning | SAGLE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 2002 | Lightning | OLDTOWN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | SANDPOINT | 0 | 1 | $220K |
| Aug 19, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tree fell on 17 year old male in backyard of home. Several reports of trees downed and tops snapped in the Sandpoint, Dover areas. There was a report of shingles being blown off roof. The BMX track was damaged by downed trees. Wind gusts estimated to be around 65 MPH.
Periodic heavy rain and spring time snow melt created saturated soil conditions which promoted numerous debris flows and widespread areal flooding through out Bonner County from the middle to the end of March. A train carrying 50 to 60 empty coal cars derailed near Kootenai after flooding undermined the tracks. A landslide knocked a home off it's foundation and carried it down a hillside near Sagle, with six more homes threatened. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding or cut by debris flows. Bonner County was included in a Presidential Disaster Declaration issued as a result of the damage caused by this episode.
Spring Creek Road leading into Clark Fork washed out near the confluence of Lightning and Spring Creeks. 100 to 150 homes and residents near Clark Fork, Idaho were stranded after two roads were washed out. In the Lightning Creek drainage, washouts were up to 700 feet long and 15 feet deep. A debris jam was also observed just west of Lightning Creek. The creek carried large cedars and cottonwoods that fell from mountainsides upstream.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
51,049
Population (ACS)
$488K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Aug 15, 2025 | Fire | SUNSET FIRE | FM |
| Mar 4, 2021 | Severe Storm | STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Apr 9, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bonner County, Idaho?
125 events are on record between 1964 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $12.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bonner County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 57 recorded events — 45.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bonner County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bonner County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bonner County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bonner County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bonner County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bonner 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
- Boise County 99
- Bonneville County 223
- Blaine County 114
- Boundary County 66
- Bingham County 285
- Butte County 255
Cite this page
“Bonner County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/bonner-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.