Tornadoes Are a Thing in Idaho, Here Are 8 of the Worst Ones …

This week’s rainy weather got me thinking, “are tornadoes even a thing in Idaho?”

Turns out … they are.

Actually, Idaho has a richer history with tornadoes than people think.

While we don’t undergo tornadoes as drastically as other states do, we still definitely have them, and it’s generally not talked about very much.

In my research, I learned that Idaho has between 3-6 tornadoes touch the ground each year.

They can happen at any time, but according to ServiceMaster, “tornado season usually begins in March and lasts until June.”

We’re in “tornado season” people!

This has mostly been the case for Idaho, however, there was one recorded tornado in October. According to this weather.gov document, “The Boise Tornado of October 26, 1984, was the first and only tornado ever reported in Idaho during the month of October.”

Regarding tornadoes specifically in Southwest Idaho and the Boise area, I believe the last one was recorded on May 26th, 2019—and that was just a few miles east of Mountain Home.

Thankfully, it wasn’t threatening and did not have any recorded damages.

As for the intensity of Idaho tornadoes, most of them are recorded to be very small and not harmful at all, but according to The Tornado Project, there have been 8 recorded tornadoes in Idaho that have caused death or injury.