Tornadoes · United States · Montana

Tornadoes in Valley County, Montana

44 tornadoes have crossed Valley County since 1950, 1st of the 51 counties in Montana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 0. 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
44
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF2, July 18, 2022

The strongest

  1. F2, Valley County, MontanaAugust 4, 1962F2, 42.9 mi (69 km)
  2. EF2, Valley County, MontanaJuly 18, 2022EF2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  3. F2, Valley County, MontanaJune 11, 1972F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  4. F2, Valley County, MontanaJune 25, 1975F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  5. F2, Valley County, MontanaJune 25, 1975F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Valley County. Each year links to every tornado in Montana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20243EF0
20231Unrated
20221EF2
20201EF0
20111EF0
20101EF0
20092EF0
20071EF1
20023F0
20011F0
20004F0
19992F1
19971F0
19955F0
19891F0
19885F0
19831F1
19781F0
19753F2
19722F2
19701F1
19621F2
19581F1
19541F1

Every tornado that crossed Valley County

44 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 12, 20247:30 PM MDTEF0Valley3.025
July 12, 20247:25 PM MDTEF0Valley2.025
July 12, 20247:10 PM MDTEF0Valley1.025
June 9, 20235:20 PM MDTUnratedValley0.010
July 18, 20225:47 PM MDTEF2Valley8.0457
May 20, 20209:17 PM MDTEF0Valley0.850
June 29, 20117:09 PM MDTEF0Valley0.01
June 21, 20104:00 PM MDTEF0Valley0.11
July 13, 20097:40 PM MDTEF0Valley0.35
July 13, 20097:33 PM MDTEF0Valley0.410
August 10, 20077:45 PM MDTEF1Valley0.310$10,000
July 8, 20027:40 PM MDTF0Valley0.550$100,000
July 8, 20027:25 PM MDTF0Valley0.150$10,000
July 8, 20027:15 PM MDTF0Valley0.150
July 20, 20013:20 PM MDTF0Phillips29.0100
July 10, 20006:15 PM MDTF0Valley0.550
July 3, 20007:40 PM MDTF0Valley0.550
July 2, 20008:05 PM MDTF0Valley0.5200
June 7, 20009:25 PM MDTF0Valley1.0100
June 21, 19998:30 PM MDTF1Valley0.2100$250,000
June 21, 19997:45 PM MDTF0Valley0.140
July 17, 19977:15 PM MDTF0Valley0.360
August 26, 19958:10 PM MDTF0Valley0.110
August 26, 19958:00 PM MDTF0Valley0.110
August 26, 19957:45 PM MDTF0Valley0.110
June 22, 19959:36 PM MDTF0Valley0.110
June 6, 19957:05 PM MDTF0Valley0.110
August 18, 19899:00 PM MDTF0Valley0.210
July 5, 19889:30 PM MDTF0Valley0.210
July 5, 19889:30 PM MDTF0Valley0.210
July 5, 19889:30 PM MDTF0Valley0.210
July 5, 19889:30 PM MDTF0Valley0.210
July 5, 19889:30 PM MDTF0Valley0.210
July 10, 19832:10 AM MDTF1Valley1.0100$500 to $5,000
July 4, 19785:00 PM MDTF0Valley0.110
June 25, 19755:38 PM MDTF0Valley0.110
June 25, 19755:05 PM MDTF2Valley0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 25, 19754:55 PM MDTF2Valley0.110
June 11, 19721:05 PM MDTF1Valley3.630
June 11, 19721:05 PM MDTF2Valley0.330$500 to $5,000
August 6, 197011:00 AM MDTF1Valley0.110$50 to $500
August 4, 19627:45 PM GMT-7F2Valley42.973$50,000 to $500,000
June 18, 19581:30 PM GMT-7F1Valley0.110$50 to $500
July 9, 195410:00 PM GMT-7F1Valley2.073$50 to $500

Nearby

Warnings in force in Valley CountyThe forecast for Valley CountyThe live radar over Valley 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.