Daniels County, Montana
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 30019 · population 1,661 · 1,426 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 528 records for Daniels County, Montana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 369 days; the most frequent are hail reports (163 records). The most damaging was the August 11, 2000 hail ($600,000 in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 8 declarations naming the county since 1986, 6 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Flooding” on October 11, 2023.
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
- 528on 369 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.5Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 10strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 8latest 2023
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 Daniels County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 163 since 1956. 80% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in July and August. 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 | 163 | 68 | 1956-2026 | 0 | 0 | $656K | 18 of 56 |
| Winter storms | 77 | 76 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 30 of 56 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 74 | 53 | 1966-2026 | 0 | 0 | $519K | 16 of 56 |
| Drought | 54 | 54 | 2005-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 56 |
| Extreme cold | 50 | 49 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 of 56 |
| High wind and dust storms | 45 | 44 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $53K | 34 of 56 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 20 | 18 | 1997-2021 | 0 | 0 | $54K | 4 of 56 |
| Floods | 19 | 15 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | $204K | 15 of 56 |
| Heavy rain | 11 | 9 | 2006-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 56 |
| Tornadoes | 10 | 7 | 1959-2023 | 0 | 0 | $43K | 11 of 56 |
| Heat | 3 | 3 | 2003-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 56 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2003-2023 | 0 | 0 | $13K | 5 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 Daniels County had?
NOAA records 10 tornadoes in Daniels County from 1959 to 2023, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 11th 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 10 tornadoes whose track touched Daniels County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 10, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Montana.
Every tornado record filed for Daniels County (10)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06-01 | Richland, Daniels County | EFU 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-07-20 | Scobey, Daniels County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-06-29 | Daniels County | F1 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988-06-08 | Daniels County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988-06-08 | Daniels County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988-06-08 | Daniels County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988-06-08 | Daniels County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1972-06-11 | Daniels County | F1 10.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1965-08-05 | Daniels County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1959-06-20 | Daniels County | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
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 Daniels County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 13, 2005 thunderstorm wind ($44,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
A 15,000 bushel steel grain bin at the Four Buttes Farmer's Elevator was completely destroyed.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 5470600)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | HailScobey, Daniels County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | HailScobey, Daniels County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtDaniels County · forecast zone Daniels | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-26 | Heavy RainScobey, Daniels County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-19 | DroughtDaniels County · forecast zone Daniels | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-14 | High WindDaniels County · forecast zone Daniels | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-23 | High WindDaniels County · forecast zone Daniels | 39 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-23 | High WindDaniels County · forecast zone Daniels | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-22 | Thunderstorm WindFour Buttes, Daniels County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-22 | Thunderstorm WindNavajo, Daniels County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-08 | High WindDaniels County · forecast zone Daniels | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-17 | BlizzardDaniels County · forecast zone Daniels | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-08-11 | HailPeerless, Daniels County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $600K |
| 1998-07-04 | HailRichland, Daniels County | 4.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $54K |
| 2005-07-13 | Thunderstorm WindFour Buttes, Daniels County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $44K |
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 $3K, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 20, 1959 (tornado, Daniels County); June 11, 1972 (tornado, Daniels 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 Daniels 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 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 61 | 50 | 17 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 11 | 32 | 24 | 10 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 11 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 6 | 11 | 37 z |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 1 | 12 | 19 | 18 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
Drought in the 2020-26: 37 records against 11 in the decade before, 37 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Daniels County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
80% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in July and August. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 51 · Feb 39 · Mar 37 · Apr 20 · May 25 · Jun 61 · Jul 142 · Aug 68 · Sep 11 · Oct 15 · Nov 24 · Dec 35 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Daniels County
FEMA's register lists 8 declarations that include Daniels County: 6 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (4) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-11 | DR-4745 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2023-08-12 | DR-4726 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2020-03-31 | DR-4508 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3476 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-05-24 | DR-4437 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2011-06-17 | DR-1996 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3253 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1986-03-15 | DR-761 | Flood | Heavy Rains, Landslides & Flooding |
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 Daniels County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Daniels County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $1.5M | 21 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $50K | 18 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $30K | once in about 930 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Very Low | $28K | 32 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Very Low | $61K | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $17K | 1.7 modeled event-days a year |
| Landslide | Very Low | $23 | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Very Low | $56K | once in about 9 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Daniels 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 Daniels CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Daniels County's FEMA declarations (CSV)8 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis