HailHistory › Hail by county › Idaho › Benewah County
Idaho · county FIPS 16009
Hail history for Benewah County, ID
Benewah County has 13 recorded hail events in the NOAA Storm Events Database — 7 of them 1″ or larger. The largest on record: 1.75″ (golf ball) on July 2, 2012.
Mark size = measured hail diameter; slivers are events with no recorded size. Amber ≥2″, red ≥2.75″ (baseball class). Denser recent decades partly reflect better reporting, not only more storms.
When it hails in Benewah County
Recorded events by month, 1950–present. The amber bar marks Benewah County's peak: July.
Most recent recorded events
| Date | Size | Comparable to |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0″ | Quarter | |
| 1.25″ | Half dollar | |
| 1.0″ | Quarter | |
| 1.75″ | Golf ball | |
| 1.0″ | Quarter | |
| 0.75″ | Penny | |
| 1.5″ | Ping-pong ball | |
| 0.75″ | Penny |
Looking for a specific storm? Use the did-it-hail date lookup for Benewah County.
From the storm reports
Narratives as filed with the NOAA Storm Events Database (public records; lightly trimmed for length).
· 1.0″ (quarter)
Hail, with up to 1 inch diameter stones, covered the ground to a depth of 6 inches near Plummer.
· 1.25″ (half dollar)
A splitting supercell thunderstorm tracked southwest to northeast through Benewah county. The right mover produced hail ranging from a quarter to half dollar over southwestern reaches of the county. This included the community of Santa. The left moving cell produced nickel to quarter size hail across northwestern reaches of the county including Chatcolet Lake.
· 1.5″ (ping-pong ball)
A severe thunderstorm developed northwest of the St. Joe National Forest. The thunderstorm intensified as it moved northeast between Heyburn State Park and St. Maries. The thunderstorm proceeded to head northward as a new updraft developed across Benewah County into Kootenai County.
Events by decade
| 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
The climb across decades is largely a reporting story: spotter networks, radar, and digital filing pulled far more storms into the record after the 1990s.
Questions about hail in Benewah County
Has it ever hailed in Benewah County?
Yes — 13 hail events have been recorded for Benewah County, ID in the NOAA Storm Events Database since 1998, including 7 of 1″ (quarter size) or larger.
When did it last hail in Benewah County?
The most recent recorded hail event for Benewah County, ID is August 10, 2019, with 1.0″ (quarter) hail. The database is currently updated through April 2026, so a storm from the last few weeks may not appear yet. To check a specific day, use the did-it-hail date lookup.
What is the largest hail ever recorded in Benewah County?
1.75″ (golf ball), recorded on July 2, 2012. Hail that size meets or exceeds the National Weather Service severe threshold. See how big that really is on the actual-size hail chart.
Does a recorded hail event mean my roof was damaged?
No. This page reports storm records, not damage. Hail size and damage vary block by block within a county, and only an inspection can establish what happened to a specific roof. If you suspect damage, talk to your insurer or a licensed roofer — they can pull the same NOAA records for your claim.
More Idaho hail history
- Bannock County 80
- Idaho County 65
- Cassia County 59
- Twin Falls County 48
- Bonneville County 44
- Caribou County 44
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, public domain, updated monthly by NCEI — this site's copy runs through April 2026. HailHistory reports records; it does not give insurance advice or assess damage.