Carter County, Montana
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 30011 · population 1,400 · 3,340 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 627 records for Carter County, Montana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 373 days; the most frequent are hail reports (298 records). The most damaging was the May 1, 2008 winter storm ($4.1 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 8 declarations naming the county since 2000, 6 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding” on October 9, 2014.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 627on 373 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $7.9Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 18strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 8latest 2020
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Carter County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 298 since 1960. 70% of its hail reports since 1960 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among Montana's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 298 | 166 | 1960-2026 | 0 | 0 | $10K | 14 of 56 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 121 | 77 | 1975-2025 | 0 | 0 | $5K | 33 of 56 |
| Winter storms | 96 | 87 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $6.2M | 48 of 56 |
| High wind and dust storms | 59 | 58 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 48 of 56 |
| Tornadoes | 18 | 15 | 1954-2019 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | 14 of 56 |
| Floods | 12 | 11 | 1997-2019 | 0 | 0 | $530K | 46 of 56 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 11 | 8 | 1999-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 of 56 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 3 | 1998-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | 48 of 56 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 3 | 2000-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 46 of 56 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 2 | 2002-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 39 of 56 |
| Drought | 1 | 1 | 2021-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 of 56 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Carter County had?
NOAA records 18 tornadoes in Carter County from 1954 to 2019, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 14th of 56 Montana counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 18 tornadoes whose track touched Carter County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 18, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-17 14:27, as SPC files it | Unnamed | EF3 | 10 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Montana.
Every tornado record filed for Carter County (18)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-07-18 | Ridgeway, Carter County | EF1 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-06-28 | Capitol, Carter County | EF2 6.6 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-06-28 | Capitol, Carter County | EF0 0.01 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-06-28 | Capitol, Carter County | EF0 4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-06-28 | Ridgeway, Carter County | EF0 10 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-06-19 | Piniele, Carter County | EF0 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-06-17 | Capitol, Carter County | EF3 10 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-06-12 | Albion, Carter County | EF1 5.21 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-08-10 | Alzada, Carter County | EF0 0.01 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-06 | Ekalaka, Carter County | F0 30 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-07-10 | Carter County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1986-05-11 | Carter County | F1 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1985-05-30 | Carter County | F0 0.1 mi x 3 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1978-07-18 | Carter County | 0 | 0 | $250K step | |
| 1971-06-03 | Carter County | F1 2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1969-07-15 | Carter County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1965-07-19 | Carter County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1954-07-26 | Carter County | F1 2.7 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Carter County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 20, 2011 flood ($420,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Record to near record flooding reported on rivers and streams across Carter County. A total of 10 homes were reported as damaged by floodwaters. Damage estimates were based on FEMA reports and Individual Assistance approvals. On Boxelder Creek, at it's highest levels, water was flowing across Highway 277 between Hammond and Ridgeway and across Highway 323 (3 miles north of Belltower) about a half mile wide in spots. On the Little Missouri River, record flooding was reported. Significant flooding noted in the Albion area where one individual had to be rescued as floodwaters surrounded their house. Two dams also breached due to the high waters. Widespread farmland flooding occurred along Thompson Creek in southern Carter County between Ridge and Alzada. …
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 308649)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | HailHammond, Carter County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | HailHammond, Carter County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | HailEkalaka, Carter County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | HailRidge, Carter County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | HailRidge, Carter County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-07 | HailAlzada, Carter County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-07 | HailBelltower, Carter County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-07 | HailEkalaka, Carter County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-08 | High WindCarter County · forecast zone Carter | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-02 | Winter StormCarter County · forecast zone Carter | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | High WindCarter County · forecast zone Carter | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-11-25 | High WindCarter County · forecast zone Carter | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-01 | Winter StormCarter County · forecast zone Carter | 0 | 0 | $4.1M | |
| 2009-03-29 | BlizzardCarter County · forecast zone Carter | 0 | 0 | $2.1M | |
| 2011-05-20 | FloodAlbion, Carter County | 0 | 0 | $420K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 18, 1978 (tornado, Carter County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Carter County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 42 | 115 | 96 | 32 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 35 | 46 | 24 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 8 | 37 | 33 | 18 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 19 | 18 | 20 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
70% of its hail reports since 1960 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 19 · Feb 16 · Mar 27 · Apr 32 · May 49 · Jun 162 · Jul 168 · Aug 85 · Sep 8 · Oct 14 · Nov 24 · Dec 23 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Carter County
FEMA's register lists 8 declarations that include Carter County: 6 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (4) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-31 | DR-4508 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3476 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2014-10-09 | DR-4198 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2011-06-17 | DR-1996 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2008-06-13 | DR-1767 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3253 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2000-12-06 | DR-1350 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2000-08-30 | DR-1340 | Fire | Wildfires |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Carter County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Carter County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.3 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $311K | once in about 269 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $71K | 20 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $852K | 7.4 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $344 | about once a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Very Low | $109K | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Very Low | $4K | 70 modeled event-days a year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $16K | once in about 2,217 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $16K | 1.8 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Carter County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in MontanaEvery Montana tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Hail in MontanaThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
- The Montana recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Carter CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Carter County's FEMA declarations (CSV)8 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis