Dawson County, Montana
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 30021 · population 8,924 · 2,372 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 853 records for Dawson County, Montana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 541 days; the most frequent are hail reports (244 records). The deadliest single record is the July 31, 2020 lightning: 1 death. FEMA has issued 10 declarations naming the county since 1986, 7 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds” on April 7, 2026.
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
- 853on 541 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 211 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $39Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 15strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 10latest 2026
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 Dawson County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 244 since 1958. 67% of its hail reports since 1958 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 | 244 | 125 | 1958-2026 | 0 | 0 | $549K | 10 of 56 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 241 | 143 | 1959-2026 | 0 | 1 | $12M | 3 of 56 |
| High wind and dust storms | 96 | 87 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 2 | $42K | 28 of 56 |
| Winter storms | 92 | 90 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 6 | $85K | 39 of 56 |
| Drought | 48 | 48 | 2004-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | 8 of 56 |
| Extreme cold | 33 | 30 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 17 of 56 |
| Floods | 32 | 30 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | $232K | 10 of 56 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 31 | 29 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 56 |
| Tornadoes | 15 | 12 | 1953-2018 | 0 | 1 | $25M | 9 of 56 |
| Heavy rain | 10 | 8 | 2007-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 of 56 |
| Heat | 5 | 5 | 2002-2018 | 1 | 0 | – | 6 of 56 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 1999-2020 | 1 | 1 | $18K | 7 of 56 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 3 | 2003-2006 | 0 | 0 | – | 32 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 Dawson County had?
NOAA records 15 tornadoes in Dawson County from 1953 to 2018, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 1 injury recorded in the county. That is 9th 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 15 tornadoes whose track touched Dawson County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 15, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-06-29 17:15, as SPC files it | Glendive | F4 | 15.9 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Montana.
Every tornado record filed for Dawson County (15)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-05-23 | Glendive Dawson Airport, Dawson County | EF0 0.28 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-07-05 | Glendive, Dawson County | EF0 0.25 mi x 1 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-07-20 | Glendive, Dawson County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-07-20 | Glendive, Dawson County | F0 1 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1995-08-26 | Richey, Dawson County | F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1993-08-13 | Glendive, Dawson County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1993-08-13 | N Portion, Dawson County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-07-14 | Dawson County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1991-05-31 | Dawson County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1987-08-16 | Dawson County | F0 0.7 mi x 13 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1978-06-01 | Dawson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1975-06-27 | Dawson County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1961-06-29 | Dawson County | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step | |
| 1953-06-23 | Dawson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1953-06-23 | Dawson County | F2 33.5 mi x 1,320 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 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 Dawson County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 15, 2024 ice storm (4 injuries).
Four injuries occurred with this icing event in Dawson County. Interstate 94 was closed from Glendive to Miles City from 430 am to around 1030 am due to severe driving conditions, lanes blockages due to accidents. Three of the injuries were from semi-tractor trailer accidents. Emergency travel only, and severe driving conditions, were also noted on the Montana (MT) DOT 511 website along 200s from Circle to Glendive.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1220448)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindHoyt, Dawson County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-07 | Thunderstorm WindBeaver Hill Dot, Dawson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-06 | HailLindsay Divide Dot, Dawson County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-12 | DroughtDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-17 | High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-03 | Dense FogDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-20 | High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-18 | High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-15 | High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-12-17 | BlizzardDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-31 | LightningGlendive Dawson Airport, Dawson County Dawson County DES Coordinator reported a 65 year old woman struck and killed by lightning while walking along Airport Road west of Glendive. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2018-06-26 | Excessive HeatDawson County · forecast zone Dawson The Billings Gazette newspaper reported that a 2 year old male child suffered death by heatstroke hyperthermia after being left in a vehicle through the middle of the day in Glendive on June 26th. The high temperature was 83 degrees, but likely reached 125 degrees inside the enclosed vehicle. Alcohol played a part in ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-12-15 | Ice StormDawson County · forecast zone Dawson Four injuries occurred with this icing event in Dawson County. Interstate 94 was closed from Glendive to Miles City from 430 am to around 1030 am due to severe driving conditions, lanes blockages due to accidents. Three of the injuries were from semi-tractor trailer accidents. Emergency travel only, and severe driving ... | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2003-12-26 | BlizzardDawson County · forecast zone Dawson A major winter storm, which affected all of northeast Montana, and produced blizzard conditions at times, began during the morning hours on December 26th and continued through the morning hours of the 28th. The storm produced up to 30 inches of snowfall, and set many snowfall records. Low pressure developed in Wyoming ... | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2003-12-17 | High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson A strong cold front crossed northeast Montana during the morning hours of the 17th. Strong gradient winds occurred immediately behind the front. Sustained wind speeds of 40 to 50 mph were common with wind gusts of up to 68 mph. The highest measured wind gust was 68 mph at King Coulee Raws in northern Garfield county. ... | 42 kt wind | 0 | 1 | – |
| 2003-07-02 | Thunderstorm WindGlendive, Dawson County A semi truck over turned on I-94 approximately 10 miles southwest of Glendive. There was one injury reported with broken bones. Widespread wind and hail damage was reported in southern Dawson County. A tree fell through a house and caused approximately 100 thousand dollars of damage. Three grain bins were destroyed ... | 60 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $802K |
| 2000-04-05 | High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson An area of low pressure moving through southern Canada in combination with strong high pressure over the pacific coast caused damaging northwest winds to develop over the area. Sustained wind speeds in the 50 to 60 mile an hour range were common with gusts to 70 miles an hour. Mostly minor damage was caused throughout ... | 50 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $27K |
| 1999-05-29 | LightningGlendive, Dawson County | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindRichey, Dawson County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3.1M |
| 2015-07-27 | Thunderstorm WindGlendive, Dawson County | 104 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3.1M |
| 2006-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindGlendive, Dawson County | 85 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 2004-05-01 | DroughtDawson County · forecast zone Dawson | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | |
| 2000-08-11 | Thunderstorm WindBloomfield, Dawson County | 73 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.3M |
| 2003-07-02 | Thunderstorm WindGlendive, Dawson County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $802K |
| 2001-07-20 | Thunderstorm WindLindsay, Dawson County | 90 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $542K |
| 2007-05-20 | HailBloomfield, Dawson County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $88K |
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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 29, 1961 (tornado, Dawson 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 Dawson 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 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 101 | 66 | 28 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 24 | 71 | 78 | 52 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 31 | 24 | 38 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 8 | 35 | 35 | 14 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 6 | 7 | 35 z |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 1 | 9 | 12 | 11 |
Drought in the 2020-26: 35 records against 7 in the decade before, 35 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 Dawson 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?
67% of its hail reports since 1958 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 52 · Feb 44 · Mar 41 · Apr 28 · May 82 · Jun 174 · Jul 210 · Aug 86 · Sep 37 · Oct 19 · Nov 30 · Dec 50 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Dawson County
FEMA's register lists 10 declarations that include Dawson County: 8 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (3) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-07 | DR-4902 | Straight-Line Winds | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2021-08-13 | DR-4608 | Other | Straight-Line Winds |
| 2020-03-31 | DR-4508 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3476 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2014-04-17 | DR-4172 | Flood | Ice Jams and Flooding |
| 2013-07-10 | DR-4127 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2011-06-17 | DR-1996 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3253 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1997-07-25 | DR-1183 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms,Ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding |
| 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.
How many floods has Dawson County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 32 flood or flash flood records for Dawson County from 1997 to 2025, on 30 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Dawson County ranks 2477th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $145,000 on 7 claims filed in Dawson County; the most in one year was 2 in 1978. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 2011: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2022: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Dawson County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dawson County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $21.4 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 High | $16M | 14 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $249K | 19 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $541K | 28 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $594K | 2.7 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $518K | 1.6 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $208K | 2.1 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $32K | 32 modeled event-days a year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $74K | once in about 1,388 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Dawson 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 Dawson CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Dawson County's FEMA declarations (CSV)10 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis