Latah County, Idaho severe weather history spans 99 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 29.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,886 nationally and #23 in Idaho.
99
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$4.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Latah County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Latah County, Idaho severe weather history averages 1.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 33 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 80 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 $2.2M 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 Latah County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 29 | 0 | $417K | 78 | 1957–2024 |
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 2000–2026 |
| Hail | 20 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1964–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $63K | 0 | 2003–2022 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $28K | F1 | 1973–1991 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2017–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Latah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Latah County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARVARD | 0 | 9 | $150K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Periodic heavy rain and spring snow melt produced debris flows and widespread areal flooding across Latah County during the second half of March. Numerous roads were closed and the county was included in a Presidential Disaster Declaration as a result of the disruption and damage caused by this episode. Paradise Creek near Moscow flooded multiple times leading to damage on roads and parks as well as basement flooding of homes along and near the creek.
Heavy rain during the afternoon and evening of April 9th caused Paradise Creek running through Moscow to rapidly rise and inundate lower elevation portions of the city along the creek. In addition heavy rain in the hills north of Moscow caused flash flooding in the northeastern areas of the city as runoff drained through valleys and ravines along North Polk Street and into the East D street neighborhood, then through downtown before draining into Paradise Creek. In some areas flood waters were reported to be 3 feet deep with numerous roads, intersections and underpasses impassable. Most of the reported damage involved basement and first floor flooding of buildings.
Thousands of people went without power near the Viola area on the Idaho Palouse as 11 transmission structures went down in a domino effect on Highway 95 between Moscow and Potlach. The highway was shut down for a four mile stretch.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
41,049
Population (ACS)
$369K
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 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Fire | GWEN FIRE | FM |
| Jul 16, 2024 | Fire | TEXAS FIRE | FM |
| 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 Latah County, Idaho?
99 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Latah County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 29 recorded events — 29.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Latah 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 Latah County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Latah County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Latah County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Latah County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Latah 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
- Kootenai County 134
- Lemhi County 135
- Jerome County 51
- Lewis County 51
- Jefferson County 234
- Lincoln County 81
Cite this page
“Latah County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/latah-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.