Canyon County, Idaho severe weather history spans 121 recorded events between 1956 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,811 nationally and #17 in Idaho.
121
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$2.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Canyon County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Canyon County, Idaho severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 36 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 95 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Canyon County, Idaho record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $1.5M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Canyon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 68 | 0 | $480K | 70 | 1956–2023 |
| Hail | 27 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1956–2022 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 2012–2023 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $78K | F1 | 1986–2003 |
| Lightning | 3 | 2 | $15K | 0 | 1996–2002 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1998 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2005–2013 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
Decade by decade
Canyon 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: 6 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-05-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-05-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-08-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-12-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-07-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Canyon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 2002 | Lightning | CALDWELL | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 1997 | Lightning | MELBA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 1987 | Hail | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jul 14, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | NAMPA | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Oct 19, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | CALDWELL | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2001 | Wildfire | CALDWELL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 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
One man was killed instantly when struck by lightning while moving an aluminum irrigation pipe on an alfalfa farm near Sunnyslope. A second man, standing about four feet away, received serious burns to the head and shoulder.
The Boise River remained in flood during the entire month of May due to planned release from Lucky Peak dam. Regulated flows were above flood stage for 101 days resulting in extensive bank erosion and flooding of lowlands along the river.
Planned releases from Lucky Peak Reservoir for flood control ranged from 7800 CFS to 8900 CFS during the month of April. The prolonged flood flows caused extensive damage along the river banks and widespread flooding of lowlands.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
250,790
Population (ACS)
$390K
Median home value
4
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 7, 2017 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Canyon County, Idaho?
121 events are on record between 1956 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths and $2.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Canyon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 68 recorded events — 56.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Canyon County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Canyon County?
4 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Canyon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Canyon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Canyon County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Canyon 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
- Camas County 26
- Caribou County 105
- Butte County 255
- Cassia County 243
- Boundary County 66
- Clark County 79
Cite this page
“Canyon County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/canyon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.