Clearwater County, Idaho severe weather history spans 93 recorded events between 1966 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,909 nationally and #25 in Idaho.
93
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$5.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Clearwater County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clearwater County, Idaho severe weather history averages 1.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 34 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 81 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $3.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Clearwater County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 38 | 0 | $168K | 64 | 1970–2022 |
| Hail | 33 | 0 | $106K | 2 | 1966–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $3.5M | 45 | 1996–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2007 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EF0 | 2007–2007 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Clearwater County, Idaho severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-06-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 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
Abundant rain and low elevation snow melt in the upper portions of Orofino Creek near Pierce led to high stream flows on the 15th, followed by minor flooding on the 16th. Multiple homes and property were sandbagged to prevent flooding across southwest portions of the county. Jim Ford Creek flooded multiple properties in the Weippe area. Clearwater County declared a state of emergency because of all the mudslide, debris and river issues. Although the most severe flooding occurred on or near the 16th, another culvert gave way and caused Grangemont Road to shut down mile-marker 22 on March 25th lasting until April 5th. Total estimated cost of road repairs was 3 million dollars due to landslide failures.
A farmer reported major property and crop damage due to both large hail and wind. The property damage included 5 rental home roofs, siding from 3 homes, several windows, and 12 garage doors that either were dented or destroyed. Approximately 75% of his spring wheat crop, approximately 450 acres, was decimated by the wind and hail. In the 67 years that he has lived there, there was only one other storm that was comparable to this one. Back in 1963, a similar storm decimated his dad's crops.
A severe weather spotter reported hearing on a scanner that trees were blown down onto Highway 12 west of Orofino from gusty winds. A newspaper article confirmed that trees and power lines were blown down onto the highway near the Riverside Motel and Stoddard Electric. Traffic was backed up from the Orofino bridge to the the intersection of 118 Street and Highway 12.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,012
Population (ACS)
$268K
Median home value
15
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 |
| Apr 9, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 18, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 15, 2015 | Fire | MUNICIPAL FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clearwater County, Idaho?
93 events are on record between 1966 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clearwater County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 38 recorded events — 40.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clearwater County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clearwater County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clearwater County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clearwater County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clearwater County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 47 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clearwater 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
- Clark County 79
- Custer County 70
- Cassia County 243
- Elmore County 130
- Caribou County 105
- Franklin County 49
Cite this page
“Clearwater County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/clearwater-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.