Storm Records: Montana
Every storm the National Weather Service has filed in Montana: its floods, heat, cold, winter storms, hail, wind, lightning and tornadoes, year by year and county by county, each episode with its narrative.
The worst in Montana on the map
The deadliest and costliest episodes on record here, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 36,278
- Deaths
- 166
- Injuries
- 403
- Damage
- $420 million
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Every year
Tap a year for every episode in it.
Deaths each year
By kind of event
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 8,391 | 0 | 7 | $134 million |
| High Wind | 7,676 | 4 | 22 | $10 million |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,635 | 12 | 56 | $66 million |
| Winter Storm | 3,626 | 19 | 30 | $21 million |
| Heavy Snow | 3,269 | 7 | 8 | $3.0 million |
| Winter Weather | 846 | 55 | 100 | $545,000 |
| Drought | 798 | 0 | 0 | $990,000 |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 704 | 1 | 0 | |
| Flood | 699 | 8 | 0 | $74 million |
| Blizzard | 642 | 3 | 15 | $3.4 million |
| Flash Flood | 476 | 1 | 5 | $19 million |
| Heavy Rain | 469 | 0 | 0 | $49,000 |
| Tornado | 432 | 4 | 29 | $56 million |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 349 | 4 | 0 | $2,000 |
| Dense Fog | 291 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wildfire | 269 | 2 | 41 | $27 million |
| Funnel Cloud | 207 | 0 | 0 | |
| Strong Wind | 127 | 2 | 1 | $2.6 million |
| Ice Storm | 92 | 2 | 13 | $30,000 |
| Avalanche | 58 | 26 | 12 | $325,000 |
| Lightning | 51 | 9 | 38 | $657,000 |
| Frost/Freeze | 49 | 0 | 6 | $60,000 |
| Heat | 49 | 1 | 0 | |
| Freezing Fog | 24 | 3 | 7 | $364,000 |
| Debris Flow | 18 | 0 | 2 | $137,000 |
| Excessive Heat | 16 | 1 | 0 | |
| Dust Devil | 7 | 0 | 3 | $46,000 |
| Dust Storm | 4 | 1 | 8 | |
| Dense Smoke | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The deadliest
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Montana, February 13 to 15, 2025Severe driving conditions were declared across western Montana due to snow and freezing roads, resulting in moderate impacts.
- Winter Storm and Avalanche in Montana, February 22 to 24, 2014Heavy snow and blowing snow causes hazardous travel across western Montana. Around a foot of snow falls along the I-90 corridor.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Montana, February 6 to 7, 2025A surface low tracked across southern Idaho, bringing periods of moderate to heavy snow to Ravalli County and areas eastward to the Continental Divide.
- Winter Weather in Montana, December 23, 2025Slick conditions contributed to several accidents across southwest Montana due to freezing rain.
- Flooding in Montana, June 4 to 14, 1996Major damage from flooding occurred mainly in Ravalli County were numerous roads were flooded and washed out.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, February 19 to 20, 2009An arctic cold front moved across the forecast area during the late evening hours of the 19th and early morning hours of the 20th. Upslope flow developed behind the front.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Montana, February 15 to 18, 2025Multiple waves of subtropical moisture brought periods of moderate to heavy precipitation, primarily as snowfall across the Northern Rockies.
- Winter Weather in Montana, February 14 to 15, 2026Following a period of unseasonably mild temperatures in early February, a pattern change introduced mixed precipitation to the Northern Rockies on February 14th and 15th.
- Flooding in Montana, May 20 to 31, 2011A Pacific low moved into the four corners region on the 17th and migrated northeast into the Dakotas through the 22nd, bringing another round of heavy precipitation aided by a tap of Gulf of Mexico moisture.
- Tornado and Hail in Montana, July 26, 2010An upper air disturbance moves east just north of a frontal boundary that helped to trigger severe weather. The severe weather that included one of the strongest tornadoes in Montana history started in far southern Saskatchewan and moved southeast across the area.
- Dense Fog and Freezing Fog in Montana, December 15 to 18, 2023High pressure led to stable conditions and cold pool formation across the Northern Rockies. This led to a prolonged period of dense fog.
- Flood and Heavy Rain in Montana, May 16 to 22, 2023Spring rains across the area resulted in additional high elevation snowmelt which led to elevated water levels along many creeks and streams. Belt Creek flooded for a second time this month. Water levels crested at 6.78 feet at the river gauge along Belt Creek near Monarch.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Montana, November 8 to 11, 2012A low pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska descended over the Rocky Mountain region, then moved northeast, emerging over the northern high plains.
- Winter Weather in Montana, December 19 to 20, 2018Slippery road conditions from black ice contributed to a multi-vehicle accident that resulted in two fatalities and three injuries near Superior.
- Winter Weather and Cold in Montana, November 6 to 7, 2022A moist, mid-level occluded front interacted with arctic air entrenched across western Montana and brought periods of heavy snow, gusty winds and sub-zero wind chills.
- Damaging Wind in Montana, August 25, 1985
- Winter Storm in Montana, November 18 to 20, 1996Record heavy snow event with wind, that followed with areas of freezing rain throughout western Montana. By the afternoon of 11/18/96 Libby received 10 inches of new snow.
- Ice Storm in Montana, November 19, 1997A couple from Turah, not wearing seatbelts, were killed when their car slid out of control on an icy Interstate 90.There were approximately 30 vehicles involved in 20 accidents across town that morning.
- High Wind in Montana, January 12, 2002A high wind event moved across north central Montana on the 12th. Sustained wind speeds of 40 to 50 mph were very common throughout the afternoon, and into the evening hours. Wind gusts were near 70 mph during the peak of the event.
- Avalanche in Montana, January 14, 2006Three snowmobilers were caught in a massive avalanche at Red Meadow Lake near Olney. One person survived, while two others perished. One of the fatalities was the result of injuries sustained in the incident. The other was caused by suffocation, a result of being buried.
- Avalanche in Montana, January 13, 2008On January 13, a large avalanche was triggered near the Big Mountain Ski Resort.
- Damaging Winds in Montana, July 16, 2008Severe thunderstorms producing large hail and damaging winds moved across portions of Big Horn and Powder River Counties during the early evening hours of the 16th. Two fatalities, both drownings, occurred from a severe thunderstorm that moved across the Tongue River Reservoir.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, October 3 to 4, 2013A potent mid-level cut-off low moved from southwest Idaho to southern Lemhi county, Idaho by 6 am MDT Thursday October 3rd and then tracked southeast into southeast Idaho by Thursday night.
- Wildfire and High Wind in Montana, March 28 to 31, 2015A strong upper level disturbance and associated cold front moved rapidly across the Northern Rockies on Saturday March 28th. The system produced widespread severe wind, with peak wind gusts ranging from 60 to 70 mph, along with critical fire weather conditions.
- Winter Weather in Montana, February 1, 2016Two people died in a fiery wreck involving a pickup and a semi on February 1st. The crash occurred on Interstate 90 near mile marker 430 just east of Park City, Montana about 945 pm.
The costliest
- Hail in Montana, June 30, 2010
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, June 16 to 17, 2007
- Flooding and Strong Wind in Montana, December 10 to 12, 2025
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, June 20 to 21, 2010
- Flooding in Montana, May 20 to 31, 2011
- Tornadoes and Hail in Montana, June 6, 1994
- Wildfire and High Wind in Montana, October 31, 1999
- Winter Storm in Montana, February 8 to 9, 2018
- Flood and Hail in Montana, July 31, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 4, 1998
- Flash Flood in Montana, November 5 to 7, 2006
- Flooding in Montana, May 23 to 31, 2011
- Flooding in Montana, April 7 to 14, 2023
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 13, 2005
- Flash Flood and Hail in Montana, August 14, 2009
- Damaging Winds in Montana, July 24, 2024
- Tornado in Montana, August 14, 1999
- Wildfire in Montana, July 16 to 27, 2003
- Flash Flood and Wildfire in Montana, August 1, 2021
- Winter Storm in Montana, November 1 to 2, 2000
- Winter Storm in Montana, June 8 to 10, 2002
- Winter Storm in Montana, May 1 to 2, 2008
- Blizzard and Flooding in Montana, May 6 to 8, 2024
- Tornadoes and Hail in Montana, July 20, 2001
- Tornadoes and Hail in Montana, July 10, 1965
Counties
Every storm event filed in each county, including the zone-filed ones that covered it.
- Beaverhead County411
- Big Horn County663
- Blaine County345
- Broadwater County190
- Carbon County736
- Carter County627
- Cascade County786
- Chouteau County500
- Custer County686
- Daniels County528
- Dawson County853
- Deer Lodge County429
- Fallon County501
- Fergus County722
- Flathead County1,304
- Gallatin County456
- Garfield County885
- Glacier County523
- Golden Valley County386
- Granite County1,005
- Hill County463
- Jefferson County166
- Judith Basin County380
- Lake County1,138
- Lewis and Clark County670
- Liberty County267
- Lincoln County417
- Madison County336
- McCone County748
- Meagher County200
- Mineral County434
- Missoula County1,530
- Musselshell County494
- Park County900
- Petroleum County389
- Phillips County1,330
- Pondera County547
- Powder River County703
- Powell County762
- Prairie County527
- Ravalli County768
- Richland County758
- Roosevelt County1,151
- Rosebud County832
- Sanders County1,122
- Sheridan County693
- Silver Bow County465
- Stillwater County984
- Sweet Grass County899
- Teton County460
- Toole County401
- Treasure County232
- Valley County1,841
- Wheatland County539
- Wibaux County460
- Yellowstone County1,022
Counties and zones as filed
The places filed most often, as the offices named them.
| County or zone | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley | 1,249 | 0 | 2 | $42 million |
| Yellowstone | 952 | 4 | 8 | $57 million |
| North Rocky Mountain Front zone | 843 | 0 | 2 | $1.9 million |
| Cascade | 628 | 2 | 3 | $2.1 million |
| Southern Rocky Mountain Front zone | 623 | 0 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| Garfield | 621 | 0 | 1 | $9.4 million |
| Roosevelt | 618 | 1 | 2 | $14 million |
| Phillips | 613 | 0 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| Rosebud | 600 | 0 | 3 | $627,000 |
| Powder River | 582 | 0 | 1 | $2.6 million |
| Dawson | 547 | 1 | 3 | $11 million |
| Custer | 544 | 2 | 6 | $2.9 million |
| Fergus | 517 | 0 | 3 | $6.6 million |
| Richland | 498 | 0 | 6 | $3.5 million |
| Cascade zone | 486 | 2 | 4 | $103,000 |
| McCone | 483 | 1 | 4 | $12 million |
| Carter | 465 | 0 | 0 | $661,000 |
| Big Horn | 447 | 6 | 18 | $4.7 million |
| Eastern Glacier zone | 446 | 0 | 0 | |
| West Glacier Region zone | 423 | 11 | 5 | $5.9 million |
| Central and Southern Valley zone | 386 | 1 | 7 | $233,000 |
| Lower Clark Fork Region zone | 384 | 12 | 20 | $1.4 million |
| Sheridan | 361 | 2 | 3 | $6.5 million |
| Hill | 358 | 0 | 1 | $5.1 million |
| Fallon | 354 | 0 | 7 | $3.5 million |
| Southern Lewis and Clark zone | 350 | 1 | 5 | $251,000 |
| Gallatin zone | 345 | 4 | 4 | $860,000 |
| Chouteau | 344 | 0 | 7 | $3.1 million |
| Kootenai/Cabinet Region zone | 342 | 6 | 4 | $2.5 million |
| Prairie | 337 | 0 | 0 | $849,000 |
| Sheridan zone | 332 | 1 | 1 | $2.5 million |
| Butte / Blackfoot Region zone | 330 | 10 | 8 | $1.3 million |
| Musselshell | 325 | 0 | 0 | $6.2 million |
| Lewis and Clark | 317 | 0 | 14 | $5.9 million |
| Flathead/Mission Valleys zone | 317 | 12 | 25 | $14 million |
| Madison zone | 308 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Dawson zone | 306 | 1 | 8 | $1.1 million |
| Western Roosevelt zone | 305 | 2 | 2 | $15,000 |
| Fergus zone | 305 | 1 | 0 | |
| Judith Basin zone | 304 | 0 | 10 | |
| Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys zone | 294 | 12 | 56 | $5.5 million |
| Stillwater | 289 | 0 | 0 | $3.4 million |
| Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains zone | 285 | 4 | 1 | $35,000 |
| Daniels | 281 | 0 | 0 | $720,000 |
| Little Rocky Mountains zone | 279 | 0 | 0 | $301,000 |
| Missoula | 274 | 2 | 6 | $8.4 million |
| Central and Se Phillips zone | 270 | 0 | 5 | $19,000 |
| McCone zone | 265 | 0 | 3 | $254,000 |
| Garfield zone | 264 | 0 | 0 | $741,000 |
| Toole zone | 264 | 0 | 4 | $7,000 |
| Richland zone | 260 | 0 | 2 | $797,000 |
| Northern Sweet Grass zone | 258 | 1 | 0 | |
| Park | 254 | 0 | 7 | $168,000 |
| Blaine | 253 | 0 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| Judith Basin | 249 | 0 | 1 | $905,000 |
| Daniels zone | 247 | 0 | 0 | $156,000 |
| Wibaux | 246 | 1 | 2 | $884,000 |
| Hill zone | 246 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gallatin | 237 | 1 | 6 | $61 million |
| Petroleum | 233 | 1 | 1 | $1.0 million |
| Chouteau zone | 228 | 0 | 0 | $150,000 |
| Teton | 221 | 0 | 0 | $5.9 million |
| Blaine zone | 221 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Wibaux zone | 214 | 3 | 1 | $93,000 |
| Southern Wheatland zone | 213 | 0 | 0 | |
| Flathead | 209 | 1 | 7 | $12 million |
| Eastern Roosevelt zone | 209 | 1 | 3 | $20,000 |
| Beaverhead | 201 | 0 | 23 | $3.3 million |
| Beartooth Foothills zone | 201 | 0 | 0 | |
| Eastern Teton zone | 197 | 0 | 0 | $30,000 |
| Beaverhead zone | 196 | 2 | 0 | $11,000 |
| Livingston Area zone | 194 | 0 | 0 | |
| Carbon | 193 | 2 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| Sweet Grass | 192 | 0 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| Meagher zone | 192 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Potomac / Seeley Lake Region zone | 191 | 8 | 12 | $287,000 |
| Prairie zone | 190 | 0 | 3 | $66,000 |
| Northern Valley zone | 186 | 0 | 0 | $80,000 |
| Red Lodge Foothills zone | 185 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ravalli | 181 | 1 | 2 | $2.8 million |
| Northern Stillwater zone | 181 | 6 | 1 | |
| Glacier | 174 | 0 | 3 | $690,000 |
| Yellowstone zone | 169 | 3 | 1 | $14,000 |
| Liberty zone | 164 | 0 | 0 | |
| Carter zone | 162 | 0 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| Wheatland | 161 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Treasure | 159 | 0 | 0 | $353,000 |
| Southern Big Horn zone | 159 | 1 | 1 | |
| Golden Valley | 157 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Northern Phillips zone | 157 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Petroleum zone | 156 | 0 | 0 | $85,000 |
| Eastern Pondera zone | 154 | 0 | 0 | |
| Liberty | 151 | 0 | 0 | $1.0 million |
| Musselshell zone | 149 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fallon zone | 147 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jefferson zone | 146 | 0 | 0 | |
| Toole | 145 | 0 | 0 | $53,000 |
| Judith Gap zone | 145 | 0 | 0 | |
| Custer zone | 142 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pondera | 141 | 0 | 1 | $6.5 million |
| Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera zone | 140 | 0 | 0 | |
| Absarokee / Beartooth Mountains zone | 137 | 7 | 0 | |
| Southern High Plains zone | 127 | 0 | 0 | |
| Northern Rosebud zone | 126 | 1 | 1 | |
| Powder River zone | 121 | 0 | 0 | |
| Eastern Toole and Liberty zone | 116 | 0 | 0 | |
| Broadwater zone | 114 | 2 | 1 | |
| Northern High Plains zone | 114 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lake | 113 | 0 | 0 | $959,000 |
| Powell | 103 | 1 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| Jefferson | 102 | 0 | 2 | $300,000 |
| Gallatin and Madison County Mountains and Centennial Mountains zone | 102 | 0 | 1 | $150,000 |
| East Glacier Park Region zone | 95 | 0 | 0 | $3,000 |
| Wheatland/Park/Sweet Grass zone | 93 | 0 | 0 | $30,000 |
| Meagher | 88 | 0 | 0 | $75,000 |
| Northern Big Horn zone | 88 | 2 | 2 | |
| Madison | 87 | 0 | 1 | $50,000 |
| Southern Rosebud zone | 87 | 4 | 2 | $200,000 |
| Fergus County Below 4500ft zone | 86 | 0 | 0 | $224,000 |
| Blackfoot Region zone | 85 | 2 | 10 | |
| Judith Basin County and Judith Gap zone | 85 | 0 | 0 | $164,000 |
| Broadwater | 84 | 1 | 0 | $600,000 |
| Golden Valley zone | 84 | 0 | 0 | |
| Silver Bow | 82 | 0 | 0 | $140,000 |
| Cascade County Below 5000ft zone | 82 | 0 | 0 | $20,000 |
| Crazy Mountains zone | 81 | 0 | 0 | |
| Absaroka / Beartooth Mountains zone | 79 | 3 | 3 | |
| Melville Foothills zone | 75 | 0 | 0 | |
| Treasure zone | 73 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lincoln | 71 | 0 | 7 | $33 million |
| Eastern Carbon zone | 67 | 2 | 0 | |
| Sanders | 66 | 0 | 1 | $236,000 |
| Western and Central Chouteau County zone | 58 | 0 | 0 | |
| Granite | 57 | 0 | 0 | $91,000 |
| Stillwater/Carbon zone | 57 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Eastern Pondera and Eastern Teton zone | 57 | 1 | 2 | |
| Paradise Valley zone | 56 | 0 | 0 | |
| Northern Park County zone | 53 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hill County zone | 53 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bears Paw Mountains and Southern Blaine zone | 52 | 0 | 0 | |
| Madison River Valley zone | 51 | 0 | 6 | |
| Blaine / Chouteau / Hill zone | 48 | 0 | 0 | $303,000 |
| Butte / Pintlar Region zone | 48 | 0 | 1 | $85,000 |
| Southwestern Yellowstone zone | 48 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gallatin Valley zone | 48 | 0 | 0 | |
| Big Belt, Bridger and Castle Mountains zone | 47 | 0 | 0 | |
| Deer Lodge | 46 | 0 | 5 | $729,000 |
| Park zone | 46 | 0 | 0 | |
| Upper Blackfoot and Macdonald Pass zone | 46 | 0 | 0 | |
| Little Belt and Highwood Mountains zone | 46 | 0 | 0 | $114,000 |
Every year
- 2026
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
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- 2014
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- 2010
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- 1965
- 1964
- 1963
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- 1961
- 1960
- 1959
- 1958
- 1957
- 1956
- 1955
- 1954
- 1953
- 1952
More
Every tornado in MontanaEvery warning in Montana since 1986River gauges in MontanaEvery state
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.