Liberty County, Montana
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 30051 · population 1,955 · 1,430 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 431 records for Liberty County, Montana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 319 days; the most frequent are high wind and dust records (224 records). 280 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The most damaging was the May 16, 1993 thunderstorm wind ($1.0 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 10 declarations naming the county since 1986, 8 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Flooding” on August 30, 2018.
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
- 431on 319 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $2.5Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 4strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 10latest 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 Liberty County most?
The most frequent records are high wind and dust records: 224 since 2001. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High wind and dust storms | 224 | 187 | 2001-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 56 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 89 | 42 | 1980-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 22 of 56 |
| Hail | 53 | 42 | 1956-2026 | 0 | 0 | $216K | 31 of 56 |
| Winter storms | 34 | 32 | 2000-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 52 of 56 |
| Extreme cold | 21 | 19 | 2014-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 of 56 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 4 | 1977-1999 | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | 19 of 56 |
| Floods | 2 | 2 | 2018-2023 | 0 | 0 | $48K | 56 of 56 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2013-2013 | 0 | 0 | – | 50 of 56 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 1 | 2021-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 22 of 56 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2003-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 56 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2019-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 44 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 Liberty County had?
NOAA records 4 tornadoes in Liberty County from 1977 to 1999, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 19th 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 4 tornadoes whose track touched Liberty County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 4, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Montana.
Every tornado record filed for Liberty County (4)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-06-02 | Marias, Liberty County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-06-26 | Chester, Liberty County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1980-05-25 | Liberty County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1977-05-24 | Liberty County | 0 | 0 | $25K 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 Liberty County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 7, 1999 thunderstorm wind ($3,543 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-28 | High WindToole County and Liberty County · forecast zone Eastern Toole And Liberty | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-25 | HailMarias, Liberty County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-16 | High WindToole County and Liberty County · forecast zone Eastern Toole And Liberty | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-31 | High WindToole County and Liberty County · forecast zone Eastern Toole And Liberty | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-14 | High WindToole County and Liberty County · forecast zone Eastern Toole And Liberty | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindLothair, Liberty County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindJoplin, Liberty County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindAlma, Liberty County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindBuelow Siding, Liberty County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindMarias, Liberty County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindSelma, Liberty County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindMarias, Liberty County | 51 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindNear Joplin, Liberty County | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 1993-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindChester, Liberty County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 1999-08-07 | Thunderstorm WindChester, Liberty County | 0 | 0 | $4K |
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: May 25, 1980 (tornado, Liberty 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 Liberty 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 34 | 59 | 131 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 51 |
| Hail | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 8 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 5 | 16 z |
Extreme cold in the 2020-26: 16 records against 5 in the decade before, 16 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 Liberty 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?
Records by month in Liberty County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 48 · Feb 34 · Mar 29 · Apr 30 · May 40 · Jun 58 · Jul 44 · Aug 34 · Sep 20 · Oct 30 · Nov 27 · Dec 37 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Liberty County
FEMA's register lists 10 declarations that include Liberty County: 8 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 |
| 2018-08-30 | DR-4388 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2016-05-24 | DR-4271 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2011-06-17 | DR-1996 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3253 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2002-07-03 | DR-1424 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2000-08-30 | DR-1340 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 1996-05-16 | DR-1113 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Ice Jams, Soil Saturation |
| 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 Liberty County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 2 flood or flash flood records for Liberty County from 2018 to 2023, on 2 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Liberty County ranks 2636th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $7,075 on 4 claims filed in Liberty County; the most in one year was 3 in 2018. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1996: 1 · 2018: 3; 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 Liberty County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Liberty County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.8 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 | $1.4M | 10 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $47K | 21 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $53K | 64 modeled event-days a year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $5K | once in about 7,441 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $14K | once in about 1,196 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Very Low | $33K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $1.2M | once in about 14 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $11K | 1.2 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 Liberty 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
- High wind and dust storms in MontanaThe state's high wind and dust records, 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 Liberty CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Liberty County's FEMA declarations (CSV)10 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis