Bear Lake County, Idaho severe weather history spans 80 recorded events between 1970 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 70.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,958 nationally and #29 in Idaho.
80
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Bear Lake County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bear Lake County, Idaho severe weather history averages 1.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 37 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 2 events fall before 1990 and 78 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bear Lake County, Idaho record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $1.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bear Lake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 56 | 4 | $127K | 77 | 1989–2026 |
| Hail | 12 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1970–2017 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2011–2017 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $20K | F0 | 1998–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Bear Lake County, Idaho severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-07-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bear Lake County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | ST CHARLES | 4 | 3 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Winds from a severe thunderstorm of 70 mph or greater caused large waves and capsized a ski boat with 7 people on board on Bear Lake on the Idaho portion of the lake. There were 4 fatalities with 3 survivors from the accident.
An extensive warmup combined with record snows in December and January caused minor flooding and roof collapses as the weight of heavy snow mixed with rain caused multiple rood collapses. The Geneva School roof collapsed.
The Bear River near the Wyoming border remained at flood stage for much of the month and minor field flooding mainly continued through May. Reports of some basement flooding in the county along with road and bridge damage continued.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,650
Population (ACS)
$275K
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 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM |
| May 5, 1977 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bear Lake County, Idaho?
80 events are on record between 1970 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $1.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bear Lake County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 56 recorded events — 70.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bear Lake County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bear Lake County?
4 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bear Lake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bear Lake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bear Lake County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bear Lake 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
- Bannock County 310
- Benewah County 50
- Adams County 35
- Bingham County 285
- Ada County 214
- Blaine County 114
Cite this page
“Bear Lake County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/bear-lake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.