Sawtooth-stanley Basin storm history
Storm events recorded in Sawtooth-stanley Basin, Idaho between 1950 and 2025.
58
Total events
0
Tornadoes
0
Hail
0
Floods
1
Deaths
$3.5M
Property damage
Most significant events
Strongest tornadoes, deadliest events, and biggest damage in this county. Up to 50 shown.
At around 1230 PM MDT a 29 year old snowmobiler was killed when buried under 6 feet of snow due to an avalanche near Observation Peak in the Stanley Lake Creek drainage area. The elevation was about 8,500 feet.
The wildfire near Stanley which burned all of September about 130,000 acres continued into October. Final damage estimates were about 1.2 million dollars in the city of Stanley and about 300,000 dollars for Redfish Lake Lodge due to loss of business for over a month.
The Wapiti fire began July 24th from lightning strikes near Grandjean in the Boise National Forest for eventually spread into the Sawtooth and Salmon Challis National Forests in the latter part of August and continued burning through September in the Sawthooths and Salmon Challis…
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
SNOTEL snow amount at Vienna Mine was 31.5 inches.
High Wind High Wind
A 64 mph wind gust measured at the Smiley Creek Airport and a 61 mph wind gust measured at the Stanley ASOS, SNT.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 25.1 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
A long period of snowfall brought 10 to 18 inches of snow to the Stanley Basin. 34.4 inches was reported by the Vienna SNOTEL site.
High Wind High Wind
A 58 mph wind gust measured near Obsidian with gusts over 50 mph frequently measured.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
The Stanley Ranger Station COOP site measured 23 inches of snow over a 3 day period.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
The Stanley COOP site measured 13.6 inches of snow over the 48 hour period.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
A total of 12.6 inches of snow fell in Stanley.
Wildfire Wildfire
The human caused Bench Lake Fire began on July 11th and continued through the month eventually becoming 85 percent contained by the end of the month. It was located in Custer County near Redfish Lake and it closed the Redfish Lake Recreation Complex for a period of time. Closed t…
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
A strong Pacific storm brought heavy snow to the Sawtooths and Stanley basin with the Stanley COOP observer recording 15.7 inches of snow.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimate of 26.2 inches fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Avalanche Avalanche
An avalanche spilled across State Highway 75 at Galena Summit forcing the road to be closed on the morning of the 18th through about 315 PM MST. It was closed from Ketchum to Stanley from milepost 145 to 165. The Stanley COOP observer measured 6.4 inches of snowfall prior to the …
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 27.3 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
The Vienna Mine SNOTEL site received an estimated 13.2 inches of snow. The Stanley Ranger Station COOP site measured 4 inches.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 21 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 16.5 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
An estimated 16.5 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site over this multi-day snow event. Lesser amounts, generally under 8 inches, fell in lower elevations.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 15 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
A strong Pacific cold front brought heavy snow and 50 mph wind gusts. seven miles south southeast of Obsidian measured 19 inches of snow and the Stanley COOP observer measured 7.6 inches. A 55 mph wind gust was measured at Horton Peak.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 15.6 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 34 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site. 7 inches fell in Stanley.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Widespread 10 to 15 inches of snow were reported in Stanley by spotters and COOP observers.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 16.5 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 25.5 inches of snow fell at Vienna Mine.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
The Stanley ASOS mean November temperatures of 18.0 degrees made it the 3rd coldest November recorded.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 29 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
The Vienna Mine SNOTEL estimated 16 inches of snowfall.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
An extremely strong Canadian cold front brought wind chill readings of -37 at the Smiley Creek Airport at 800 AM on the 23rd and -27 at the Stanley Airport at 0751 AM on the 23rd.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Heavy snow with strong winds occurred through a 3 day period. Snow amounts estimated at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL was 4 feet. The Stanley COOP observer recorded a foot of snow in the storm.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Heavy snow fell in the Sawtooth region with the Stanley COOP observer reporting 13 inches and the public reporting 32.5 inches 14 miles west northwest of Stanley.
Wildfire Wildfire
A human caused fire began on September 5th and burned 510 acres about 23 miles south of Stanley and affected the Alturas Creek Campgrounds. It burned in brush, grass, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. It was in very steep and complex terrain. Campsite closures were: Cabin Creek Tra…
Wildfire Wildfire
A large wildfire began August 10th and burned into mid October before being 100 percent contained. It burned 88,000 acres and advanced to 30 miles northwest of Stanley. It damaged some back roads making them impassable and several closures including rafting put in points. The fir…
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
It was the hottest June ever recorded at Stanley with an average monthly temperature of 58.3 degrees which was 6.7 degrees above the monthly normal.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Heavy snowfall was limited to very high elevations. The Stanley COOP site only measured 2 inches of snow. Snowfall was estimated at 33.5 inches at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Snowfall was estimated at 17 inches at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL. 7.1 inches fell at the Stanley COOP site.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
An estimated 40 inches of snow fell at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Freezing Fog Freezing Fog
On December 20th dense freezing fog and freezing drizzle caused black ice to form on State Highway 75 between Idaho 21 and Squaw Canyon Road south of Clayton. It covered a 37 mile stretch from mile post 191 to mile post 218. All lanes were blocked and the road was closed by 6 am …
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
The Stanley COOP observer measured 12.5 inches of snow with the storm. The Vienna Mine SNOTEL site estimated 41 inches of snow.
Wildfire Wildfire
The Trap Creek fire began September 14th and burned over 2,000 acres located 9 miles northwest of Stanley near the Trap Creek Campground in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The fire jumped Highway 21 and necessitated a closure of the road between Grandjean and Cape Horn Roa…
High Wind High Wind
Sawtooth search and rescue reported more than 30 trees down across the Stanley Basin area with back country roads blocked. The Beaver Creek area was especially hard hit.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
The Mill Creek Summit SNOTEL estimated 28 inches of snowfall during the storm. Nearly 8 inches of snow fell at the Stanley COOP site.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
The Vienna Mine SNOTEL estimated 17 inches of snow.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
A long lasting winter storm brought extremely heavy snow to the region. An incredible 78 inches of snow was estimated at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site at 9 thousand feet. The Stanley COOP site recorded 18 inches of snow.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
A total of 25 inches of snow was estimated at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL site.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
The Vienna Mine SNOTEL recorded 21 inches of snowfall.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
A total of 17 inches of snow was estimated at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL.
Wildfire Wildfire
The Vader Fire was located 13 miles northwest of Stanley south of Highway 21. Thatcher Creek Campground and Vader Creek Day-Use Area were closed. Highway 21 was also closed for a short time. It burned 443 acres. It burned lodgepole pine and the cause was not known.
Events by year
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 |
| 2022 | 10 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 |