High Wind — Southern Clearwater Mountains, Idaho

2025-12-17 · Southern Clearwater Mountains, Idaho

Event narrative

A falling tree struck a semi-truck at milepost 96 on US-12, just one mile west of Lowell. In an accident near Elk City, a truck was struck by mud and trees sliding down a hillside, while a motorist on SH-13 had a tree fall through their vehicle windshield. Blockages including multiple downed trees, rocks and landslides were reported along State Highway 14.

Utility infrastructure was devastated, leading to massive and prolonged power outages. By 0637PST on December 17, over 27 percent of tracked customers in Idaho County (1,638 meters) had lost power. To address the widespread outages, Avista deployed more than 45 line crews, 36 contract crews, and 30 vegetation management crews, supported by hundreds of additional employees. Through this massive response, 86 percent of Avista accounts across the region were restored by December 18. Restoration efforts for remote locations like Elk City and Dixie, as well as the Cove area east of Grangeville, safely extended into subsequent days.

Property and infrastructure damage extended deep into the backcountry. At Red River Hot Springs, multiple trees were reported down. Public lands agencies reported significant storm-related damage to facilities. The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests noted catastrophic damage at the Fish Creek Recreation Area outside Grangeville, where multiple trees crushed the pit toilet building, pavilion, and parking lot.

Wider weather episode

On December 17, 2025, a historic high wind event driven by a strong cold front undercutting an atmospheric river brought hurricane-force winds to North Central Idaho. Saturated, extremely wet soils severely weakened root structures, which substantially exacerbated the toppling of countless trees and power poles. The region experienced devastating wind gusts exceeding 70 mph.

The storm caused catastrophic damage to utility infrastructure, resulting in what Clearwater Power described as the most widespread outage and system damage the cooperative has ever experienced. The intense winds and falling timber damaged equipment, substations, and every single main distribution line across their expansive 5,000-square-mile electric system all at once. Fallen trees completely blocked roads and access points, while additional snow and wind following the initial event severely hampered repair progress. Outages persisted for over a week for some residents, with crews and mutual aid partners quadrupling the normal workforce to work through the Christmas holiday to fully restore power across the rugged landscape.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1307680. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.