How risky is Gem County for natural disasters?

FEMA rates Gem County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $11.15M a year. The highest-rated hazards are wildfire (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively low), earthquake (very low).

What storms are most common in Gem County?

Since 1996, NOAA recorded 286 storm events affecting Gem County, most often heavy snow (177), winter storm (23), high wind (16).

How many tornadoes have hit Gem County?

4 tornadoes have been recorded in Gem County since 1950.

How many homes in Gem County have flood insurance?

29 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Gem County, covering about 0.3% of homes. The program has paid $19.22K on 4 claims here since 1978.

What is the weather like in Gem County?

At Ola, average highs reach 93°F in Jul and lows fall to 15°F in Jan, with 22.5 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).

Risk: Very Low

Gem County, ID Environment & Hazard Risk

Very Low natural hazard risk, led by wildfire. 286 storm events since 1996.

Expected yearly loss: $11.15M; Very Low nationally
Storm events since 1996: 286; Most often heavy snow
Flood insurance policies: 29; 0.3% of homes
Hurricanes nearby: 0; Since 1851

Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025

Overall risk

Very Low

Score 34.4 of 100

Social vulnerability

Relatively Low

Score 36.1 of 100

Community resilience

Relatively Low

Score 29.2 of 100

Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.

Building value exposed: $3.4B · Agriculture value exposed: $50.45M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $11.51M

Risk by hazard

WildfireRelatively Moderate$5.86M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 65 years
Winter weatherRelatively Low$73.95K/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
EarthquakeVery Low$295K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 360 years
AvalancheVery Low$540/yr expected annual loss, about once every 30 years
LandslideVery Low$1,174/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
Volcanic activityVery Low$9/yr expected annual loss, about once every 5,000 years
Heat waveRelatively Low$284K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.5 events a year
Strong windRelatively Low$233K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
Ice stormVery Low$21.57K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 28 years
LightningVery Low$68.74K/yr expected annual loss, about 21 events a year
DroughtVery Low$77/yr expected annual loss, about 13 events a year
Cold waveVery Low$33.92K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 19 years
TornadoVery Low$25.73K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 37 years
HailVery Low$12.05K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami.

Flood risk and insurance

National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance: 29 of 8,724 (0.3%)
Homes in high-risk flood zones: 0
Flood claims since 1978: 4
Claims paid since 1978: $19.22K

Flood claims paid per year

Flooding$1,938 · 1 claim

Storm history

Since 1996: 286 events, 4 deaths, $101M in damage

Heavy Snow177 · 1 death
Winter Storm23
High Wind16
Thunderstorm Wind13
Flood12
Winter Weather8 · 1 death
Dense Fog7
Strong Wind7
Hail4
Tornado3

Events per year

4 tornadoes on record (F0 3, F1 1).

Most damaging storms

Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage

Heavy Snow01/18/2017
Lower Treasure Valley
$100M damage
What happened
Numerous reports from social media reported 6 to 9 inches of snow around Caldwell and 15 to 16 inches from Ontario to Payette and Weiser reported by emergency management. Significant damage occurred to agricultural buildings housing fresh produce.
Winter Weather10/30/2009
West Central Mountains
1 death, 1 injured
What happened
KTVB in Boise, Idaho reported a fatality on U.S. Highway 95 , north of New Meadows. According to Idaho State Police, the automobile accident was caused by freezing rain and ice on the roadway.
Heavy Snow12/07/2013
Lower Treasure Valley
1 death
What happened
Reports of 5 to 6 inches were received via social media. A traffic accident attributed to slick roads resulted in one fatality on Interstate 84, 2 miles east of Caldwell.
Excessive Heat09/06/2022
Lower Treasure Valley
1 death
What happened
Multiple newspapers reported on an infant that died after being left in a hot car in New Plymouth, Idaho on September 6th.
Avalanche12/17/2009
West Central Mountains
1 death
What happened
Idaho Mountain Express reported that a young man died in an avalanche while snowmobiling at Rock Lake in the French Creek drainage outside of Cascade, Idaho.
Heavy Snow11/29/2001
Lower Treasure Valley
4 injured
What happened
A very moist Pacific storm brought the first major snowfall to the Treasure and Magic Valleys. Snow began falling around noon and continued until the next morning. Over one hundred slide-offs and motor vehicle collisions occurred along Interstate 84 from Oregon-Idaho state line east to Twin Falls. Traffic was brought to a standstill during the evening rush hour. Four accidents resulted in personal injuries(indirect) in the Boise area. Two more motor vehicle injuries(indirect) occurred in the Twin Falls area. Three to six inches fell in the Treasure Valley, 6 to 12 inches in the Magic Valley and 8 to 12 inches in the West Central and Boise Mountains and the Camas Prairie. A section of Idaho State Highway 21 was closed between Grandjean Junction and Banner Summit because of avalanche danger.Wind gusts up to 45 mph caused local blizzard conditions in the Mountain Home area with visibility reduced to 1/4 mile at times.

Latest storm reports

Newest first

Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind05/25/2026
Sweet, Gem County
Winter Weather02/13/2025
Lower Treasure Valley
Winter Weather02/06/2025
Lower Treasure Valley
Winter Weather02/06/2025
West Central Mountains
Winter Storm02/02/2025
West Central Mountains
Winter Weather12/15/2024
West Central Mountains
Winter Weather12/15/2024
West Central Mountains
Winter Weather12/14/2024
West Central Mountains

Drinking water

6 community water systems serve about 6,912 people. Violations since 2021.

1 system had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 1 system had a violation of any kind still open at last report.

Emmett City ofServes 6,700 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
Bonnie Laura SubdServes 60 · Groundwater · Private1 health violation+1 monitoring or reporting
Cherry Ridge RehabServes 50 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
Edgemont SubdServes 40 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
Picket Corral Owners AssociationServes 35 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
R and V Mobile Home ParkServes 27 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations

Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.

Climate

1991-2020 normals at Ola, 1.1 mi from the county center

Summer highs peak around 93°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 15°F in Jan. About 22.5 inches of rain falls in a typical year.

Month	High	Low	Rain
Jan	38°F	15°F	3.44 in
Feb	45°F	19°F	2.26 in
Mar	54°F	26°F	2.34 in
Apr	62°F	31°F	2.00 in
May	72°F	39°F	2.18 in
Jun	81°F	44°F	1.24 in
Jul	93°F	51°F	0.41 in
Aug	91°F	48°F	0.34 in
Sep	81°F	40°F	0.54 in
Oct	65°F	30°F	1.63 in
Nov	48°F	22°F	2.26 in
Dec	38°F	17°F	3.89 in
Year	48°F average		22.5 in

Pollution sites

0 Superfund sites and 0 toxic release facilities in Gem County

No Superfund sites or toxic release facilities in Gem County in our data.

Superfund sites Toxic release facilities EPA inspections and enforcement Air toxics cancer risk 10 historic places

Frequently asked questions

How risky is Gem County for natural disasters?: FEMA rates Gem County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $11.15M a year. The highest-rated hazards are wildfire (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively low), earthquake (very low).
What storms are most common in Gem County?: Since 1996, NOAA recorded 286 storm events affecting Gem County, most often heavy snow (177), winter storm (23), high wind (16).
How many tornadoes have hit Gem County?: 4 tornadoes have been recorded in Gem County since 1950.
How many homes in Gem County have flood insurance?: 29 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Gem County, covering about 0.3% of homes. The program has paid $19.22K on 4 claims here since 1978.
What is the weather like in Gem County?: At Ola, average highs reach 93°F in Jul and lows fall to 15°F in Jan, with 22.5 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).

Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.

More about Gem County

Data sources

National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency
OpenFEMA NFIP Policies and ClaimsFederal Emergency Management Agency
Storm Events DatabaseNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
HURDAT2NOAA National Hurricane Center
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS)U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Toxics Release InventoryU.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Data as of 08/01/2026

See something wrong? Request a correction

More national data

About this data

Environmental hazards and flood zones: Flood zones, hazard scores and pollution data come from federal and state agencies and are for general information only. They are not an official flood zone determination, environmental assessment or insurance rating. For a property decision, request an official determination from your community floodplain administrator, insurer or a licensed professional. Maps may not show recent changes.

DatenUS is a private website and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. We republish public data from the sources listed on this page. Data can be incomplete, delayed or wrong. Always check the original source before you make a decision.

Our servers read this data automatically from government sources. Errors can come from the source itself or from the way we read, process or display it, and we do not guarantee that it is accurate, complete or current. Verify anything important with the official source.

Report an error Read the full disclaimer