Tornadoes · United States · Montana

Tornadoes in Fergus County, Montana

28 tornadoes have crossed Fergus County since 1950, 2nd of the 51 counties in Montana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 3. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
28
Deaths
0
Injuries
3
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, July 8, 2002

The strongest

  1. F2, Fergus County, MontanaJuly 8, 2002F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  2. F2, Fergus County, MontanaAugust 14, 1999F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  3. F2, Fergus County, MontanaJune 25, 1996F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  4. F2, Fergus County, MontanaJuly 20, 1964F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  5. F2, Fergus County, MontanaMay 28, 1981F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  6. F2, Fergus County, MontanaJune 8, 1976F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Fergus County. Each year links to every tornado in Montana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20053F0
20041F0
20031F0
20023F2
20001F0
199963F2
19983F1
19971F0
19961F2
19931F0
19911F0
19881F0
19811F2
19761F2
19751F0
19711F1
19641F2

Every tornado that crossed Fergus County

28 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 28, 20052:55 PM MDTF0Fergus0.35
June 25, 20052:05 PM MDTF0Fergus1.08
June 17, 20055:20 PM MDTF0Fergus0.15
June 5, 200410:20 PM MDTF0Judith Basin2.0100
April 25, 20033:10 PM MDTF0Fergus2.025
August 5, 20028:00 PM MDTF0Fergus4.010
July 8, 20024:30 PM MDTF2Fergus10.0200$100,000
June 28, 20028:45 PM MDTF0Judith Basin11.050
July 8, 20006:25 PM MDTF0Fergus2.020
August 14, 19998:15 PM MDTF0Fergus0.520
August 14, 19995:15 PM MDTF2Fergus5.01003$4.0 million
July 20, 19997:10 PM MDTF0Fergus0.110
July 7, 19993:13 PM MDTF0Fergus0.220$2,000
June 30, 19993:00 PM MDTF0Fergus0.10
June 21, 19995:10 PM MDTF0Fergus0.210$3,000
August 23, 19985:35 PM MDTF0Fergus0.330$4,000
August 23, 19984:30 PM MDTF1Fergus3.530$40,000
August 23, 19984:00 PM MDTF0Fergus4.030
June 6, 19978:48 PM MDTF0Fergus0.120
June 25, 19968:55 PM MDTF2Fergus2.030$30,000
July 7, 199312:25 PM MDTF0Fergus0.110$500 to $5,000
June 21, 19916:15 PM MDTF0Fergus0.210
June 8, 19886:00 PM MDTF0Fergus0.210$500 to $5,000
May 28, 19813:00 PM MDTF2Fergus1.5100
June 8, 19768:05 PM MDTF2Fergus0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 19, 19755:00 PM MDTF0Fergus0.110
June 3, 19717:05 PM MDTF1Fergus2.330$500 to $5,000
July 20, 19649:30 PM GMT-7F2Fergus2.010

Nearby

Warnings in force in Fergus CountyThe forecast for Fergus CountyThe live radar over Fergus CountyEvery county in Montana

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.