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Butte County, Idaho severe weather history spans 255 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 78.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,079 nationally and #3 in Idaho.
255
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$579K
Property damage
The record
What the Butte County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Butte County, Idaho severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 108 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 247 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $530K 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 Butte County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 201 | 0 | $11K | 86 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1962–2024 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $8K | F1 | 1954–2018 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $530K | 0 | 2017–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $23K | 0 | 1998–2014 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2000 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Butte County, Idaho severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-10-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-09-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Extensive snowmelt occurred at low elevations as a warmup took place for a good portion of the first 2 to 3 weeks of the month. Extensive sheet flooding of fields occurred as well as extensive minor flooding of roadways and extreme damage of roadways due to the extreme snowfall and cold temperatures in December and January.
Heavy rains and small hail caused flooding in Arco. Roadways in town flooded with damage reported by law enforcement. Hail was up to 2 inches deep in some parts of town. The basement in the new court house in Arco was flooded as well.
COOP Observer reported 1 to 2 inches of water flowing across Highway 93 in the city of Arco. Minor residential flooding occurred with some flooding at the hospital. A city bridge on Era street washed out and the street was closed and minor flooding occurred on Highway 33.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,684
Population (ACS)
$218K
Median home value
6
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 |
| Jun 13, 1997 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, SNOWMELT, LAND/MUD SLIDES, FLOODING | DR |
| Nov 18, 1983 | Earthquake | EARTHQUAKE | DR |
| Dec 31, 1964 | Flood | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Arco 143
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Butte County, Idaho?
255 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $579K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Butte County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 201 recorded events — 78.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Butte County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Butte County?
6 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Butte County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Butte County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Butte County as very low risk, placing it in the 4 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Butte 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
- Boundary County 66
- Camas County 26
- Bonneville County 223
- Canyon County 121
- Bonner County 125
- Caribou County 105
Cite this page
“Butte County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/butte-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.