Idaho avalanche risk

42 counties scored 3 rated Very High

Blaine County has the highest avalanche risk in Idaho, scoring 96.9 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.

# County NRI score Rating
1 Blaine County 96.9 Very High
2 Custer County 96.8 Very High
3 Shoshone County 96.1 Very High
4 Bonner County 94.6 Relatively High
5 Bonneville County 94.2 Relatively High
6 Camas County 92.8 Relatively High
7 Teton County 90.9 Relatively High
8 Elmore County 90.8 Relatively High
9 Fremont County 90.6 Relatively High
10 Boise County 87.6 Relatively High
11 Idaho County 86.1 Relatively High
12 Adams County 86 Relatively High
13 Bear Lake County 84.9 Relatively Moderate
14 Valley County 84.2 Relatively Moderate
15 Clearwater County 82.9 Relatively Moderate
16 Boundary County 82.6 Relatively Moderate
17 Butte County 81.3 Relatively Moderate
18 Caribou County 80 Relatively Moderate
19 Clark County 79.4 Relatively Moderate
20 Madison County 73.7 Relatively Low
21 Washington County 73.5 Relatively Low
22 Owyhee County 71.8 Relatively Low
23 Nez Perce County 66.1 Very Low
24 Lewis County 62.7 Very Low
25 Lemhi County 60.1 Very Low
26 Latah County 59.4 Very Low
27 Cassia County 56.9 Very Low
28 Twin Falls County 54.1 Very Low
29 Kootenai County 53.5 Very Low
30 Gem County 49.9 Very Low
31 Benewah County 48.2 Very Low
32 Jerome County 34.9 Very Low
33 Ada County 27 Very Low
34 Franklin County 25.4 Very Low
35 Bannock County 23 Very Low
36 Bingham County 20.5 Very Low
37 Power County 18.3 Very Low
38 Oneida County 18 Very Low
39 Gooding County 12.3 Very Low
40 Payette County 8 Very Low
41 Canyon County 5.6 Very Low
42 Jefferson County 1.9 Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.

Avalanche risk nationally:

Other hazard risks in Idaho:

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest avalanche risk county in Idaho?

Blaine County, ID has the highest avalanche risk in Idaho, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 96.9 out of 100 (rated "Very High").

How many counties in Idaho are rated Very High for avalanche risk?

3 of 42 scored Idaho counties are rated "Very High" for avalanche risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.

What causes avalanche risk in Idaho?

Avalanche risk reflects expected annual losses from snow avalanche events, primarily affecting mountain counties in the West. The highest scores belong to Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Washington counties where active ski terrain, mountain highways, and communities overlap with historically active avalanche paths and high seasonal snowpack. Avalanche events are reported at forecast-zone level in NOAA Storm Events and are not included in county-level counts.