What weather and/or natural problems do Idahowans face? (Boise: tornado, earthquakes)

[rawfoodsparkle]

We get iced in at least a week straight and can't go out at least once every winter.We would end up in ditches,creeks, etc. and we in Georgia have alot of severe thunderstorms,hail, and occasional tornados.In the south of GA fires once in a while.......What do you face in Idaho?

(PS... and what places have the least snow in Idaho?)
and what is the # on the left of the scale sign on the rt of the forum post stand for?

[elousv]

I am in North Idaho or NID. There is nothing I would consider 'extreme' here. The winter does not get all that cold, below zero a couple times. I have 4WD and snow tires and have never felt 'stuck' at home. The summer does not get all that hot, maybe 100 a couple of times. It does not rain all that hard. It does not hail golfballs. A twister is a rarity. I don't know if there has ever been a hurricane. Earthquakes also rare. Kinda protected from a Tsunami. There have been huge fires of course since there are millions of trees. Now if the Yellowstone Caldera blew it would be an issue as well as some west coast volcanoes. The seasons can be skipped. Last year there was no winter, this year there is no spring, it snowed today.

The # is the post number. You started the thread so you are number 1.

[banjomike]

It's not bad at all here.
9 months of winter, and 3 months of late fall. Avalanches, frostbite, dead Suv's, daily gale force winds, sagebrush allergies, and plagues of flies. We don't count the frogs that rain from the sky every few years- heck- you can barely seem through the burned trees anyway.

Every 30 years or so, we do get a break in the drought. That's when it rains. Just before the rivers freeze solid again.

I'm sure you'll grow to love it, though- outrunning starving bears is always a fun activity here.

It won't take long for you to get accustomed to Idaho weather. It happens when your blood is so thick that you don't bleed when you nick yourself- you ooze. By then, it won't really bother you when your frozen nose falls off. Your body will totally forget how to sweat, and that's another plus.

[crzycabbie]

Originally Posted by banjomike

It's not bad at all here.
9 months of winter, and 3 months of late fall. Avalanches, frostbite, dead Suv's, daily gale force winds, sagebrush allergies, and plagues of flies. We don't count the frogs that rain from the sky every few years- heck- you can barely seem through the burned trees anyway.

Every 30 years or so, we do get a break in the drought. That's when it rains. Just before the rivers freeze solid again.

I'm sure you'll grow to love it, though- outrunning starving bears is always a fun activity here.

It won't take long for you to get accustomed to Idaho weather. It happens when your blood is so thick that you don't bleed when you nick yourself- you ooze. By then, it won't really bother you when your frozen nose falls off. Your body will totally forget how to sweat, and that's another plus.

Sounds like a paradise compared to 100% humidity for most of the year.....

[Lacerta]

Originally Posted by banjomike

It's not bad at all here.
9 months of winter, and 3 months of late fall. Avalanches, frostbite, dead Suv's, daily gale force winds, sagebrush allergies, and plagues of flies. We don't count the frogs that rain from the sky every few years- heck- you can barely seem through the burned trees anyway.

Every 30 years or so, we do get a break in the drought. That's when it rains. Just before the rivers freeze solid again.

I'm sure you'll grow to love it, though- outrunning starving bears is always a fun activity here.

It won't take long for you to get accustomed to Idaho weather. It happens when your blood is so thick that you don't bleed when you nick yourself- you ooze. By then, it won't really bother you when your frozen nose falls off. Your body will totally forget how to sweat, and that's another plus.

Hahaha

Seriously though, to the OP, there are already recent threads going in this forum with good detail on Boise weather, which is where Idaho gets the least snow, and on Idaho natural disasters. Find and read those for some good information.

[flatlander dave]

Wildland fires can be a real threat, here in north idaho, we are due for a big one.

[banjomike]

I was pulling your leg, rawfoodsparkle.
...just feeling mischievous, I guess.

As some others have posted, there are many great posts about Idaho weather here... just look for some. In general: Idaho is a high mountainous state. The climate in most of the state is very dry, and N. Idaho's weather is somewhat different from S. Idaho's. The winters can be very snowy and there is typically a cold snap around January or February where the temps plunge below zero and stay there for a while. Summers are usually pleasant, but can be hot sometimes.

All in all, the climate is similar to Montana, E. Oregon & E. Washington, N. Utah, and Wyoming.

[IdahoMormon]

Wind.

Around here they tell the story about the day the wind stopped, and everybody fell over.

Last year I put up a High Tunnel greenhouse type structure. Naive as I was, I bought it mail order and put it up just like the instructions said. Whoever designed that thing did NOT live in Idaho. The wind ripped it apart. I redesigned parts of it and re-built. It lasted longer the second time, but still wasn't good enough. I've gotta build windbreaks or something.

Could be worse. I could live in Rexburg.

[rawfoodsparkle]

Happy times,ha ha ,TY for the great info.After the tornado outbreak I just went through in GA this seems so tranqual. ;D

[pw72]

They say earthquakes happen in Idaho. I'm sure they do, but I've never felt one here. Tornadoes are extremely rare, thunderstorms are usually wimpy compared to the rest of the country. Ice storms occasionally, but again comparitively not significant. Flooding can occur, especially with big snowpack winters and sudden warm-ups. Idaho is still not out of the woods for that this year.

As for an overview of Idaho weather:

Spring: A week long period of comfortable temps and wind.

Summer: The season that starts one week after Winter ends.

Fall: The longest season...sometimes lasting up to three weeks.

Winter: Everything outside of the above.