Power County, Idaho severe weather history spans 196 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,465 nationally and #8 in Idaho.
196
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Power County, Idaho severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Power County, Idaho severe weather history averages 2.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 52 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 177 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $714K 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 Power County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 94 | 0 | $331K | 77 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 29 | 0 | $10K | 1.75 | 1963–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 0 | $36K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 17 | 0 | $714K | F2 | 1961–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2014 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $359K | 0 | 2012–2019 |
| Wildfire | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2000 |
Decade by decade
Power County, Idaho severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-08-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-05-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 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
A large metal farm building was damaged 6W of Pocatello airport: siding pushed in and roof partially removed. Nearby, a cinder block and a steel framed potato storage buildings collapsed. A large grain silo sustained severe damage. A recreation fee building destroyed and several large trees downed at Willow Bay county park. Throughout the tornado's path, irrigations center pivots flipped and wheel line systems twisted.
A warmup in February caused extensive sheet flooding throughout Power County damaging roads and closing many of them in the 8th through 12th time period. Teh Interstate 86 exit 44 for Seagull Bay was closed due to water on the roadway along with several county roads as well.
The tornado was observed by NWS personnel on duty at the weather office as it touched down at the Bannock Peak Trading Post off Interstate 86. The tornado caused a tractor-trailer to tip onto its side, blow windows out of the truck and a motor home as well as damaging four other vehicles. As the tornado skipped along its path it was readily seen by hundreds of people in the city of Pocatello some 13 miles to the east.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,133
Population (ACS)
$213K
Median home value
5
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 |
| Sep 1, 2000 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Dec 31, 1964 | Flood | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Power County, Idaho?
196 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Power County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 94 recorded events — 48.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Power County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Power County?
5 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Power County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Power County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Power County as very low risk, placing it in the 17 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Power 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
- Payette County 51
- Shoshone County 83
- Owyhee County 115
- Teton County 71
- Oneida County 89
- Twin Falls County 148
Cite this page
“Power County, Idaho.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/idaho/power-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.