Montana natural disasters

The state's storm and disaster record · population 1,082,451 · 56 counties and county equivalents

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 36,278 storm events in Montana since 1950, 34,095 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded, and the Storm Prediction Center counts 444 tornadoes in the state since 1950. The most frequent records are winter storm records (8,475). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest storm in Montana is the February 13, 2025 winter storm: 5 deaths and 5 injuries across 7 records. FEMA has made 113 declarations for Montana since 1953, 109 for natural hazards; 43 were major disasters.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm events recorded in Montana 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 $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 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 events recorded: 36,2781950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded: 166403 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $684Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes (SPC): 4441950 to 2025
FEMA declarations: 11343 major disasters

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.

What natural disasters happen in Montana?

By NOAA's records, Montana's most frequent hazards are winter storm records (8,475), hail reports (8,391), high wind and dust records (7,814); the deadliest are winter storm records (86 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.

Montana: records by hazard to June 30, 2026
Hazard	Records	Last 10 years	Killed	Injured	Damage	Counties
Winter storms	8,475	2,788	86	166	$29M	56 of 56
Hail	8,391	1,582	0	7	$197M	56 of 56
High wind and dust storms	7,814	3,751	7	34	$16M	56 of 56
Severe thunderstorm wind	6,635	2,192	12	56	$104M	56 of 56
Floods	1,175	320	9	5	$114M	56 of 56
Extreme cold	1,102	634	5	6	$75K	52 of 56
Drought	798	719	0	0	$1.5M	27 of 56
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds	525	292	4	7	$427K	55 of 56
Heavy rain	469	188	0	0	$59K	53 of 56
Tornadoes	432	32	4	29	$176M	51 of 56
Wildfires	269	106	2	41	$44M	46 of 56
Landslides and avalanches	76	32	26	14	$539K	26 of 56
Heat	65	26	2	0	–	22 of 56
Lightning	51	9	9	38	$866K	25 of 56
Hurricanes and tropical storms	1	0	0	0	–	1 of 56

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).

What were the deadliest disasters in Montana?

The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.

Montana: the 10 storm episodes with the most deaths
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2025-02-13	Winter StormFlathead County and 2 more · forecast zone Flathead/Mission Valleys One storm episode: 7 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. Severe driving conditions were declared across western Montana due to snow and freezing roads, resulting in moderate impacts.		5	5	–
2025-02-07	Winter WeatherGranite County and 3 more · forecast zone Potomac / Seeley Lake Region One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. A surface low tracked across southern Idaho, bringing periods of moderate to heavy snow to Ravalli County and areas eastward to the Continental Divide.		4	4	–
2014-02-22	Winter WeatherMissoula County and Ravalli County · forecast zone Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2014-02-22 to 2014-02-23; the totals are the episode's. Heavy snow and blowing snow causes hazardous travel across western Montana. Around a foot of snow falls along the I-90 corridor.		4	3	–
2026-02-14	Winter WeatherGranite County and 3 more · forecast zone Potomac / Seeley Lake Region One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Following a period of unseasonably mild temperatures in early February, a pattern change introduced mixed precipitation to the Northern Rockies on February 14th and 15th. Freezing rain and light snow developed across western Montana, creating slick travel conditions throughout the region. Impacts were observed ...		3	3	–
2009-02-19	Winter WeatherRosebud County · forecast zone Southern Rosebud One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An arctic cold front moved across the forecast area during the late evening hours of the 19th and early morning hours of the 20th. Upslope flow developed behind the front. This resulted in heavy snow across the foothills of the Beartooth/Absaroka Mountains with minor accumulations across the plains. However, very ...		3	1	–
2025-12-23	Winter WeatherDeer Lodge County and 3 more · forecast zone Butte / Blackfoot Region Along Interstate 90 between Drummond and Garrison Junction, freezing rain contributed to at least 6 accidents. At 1125MST a small car lost control, slid into the eastbound lane and crashed into a tractor trailer. All three people in the car were declared dead(indirect) on the scene. The road conditions were described ...		3	0	$8K
1996-06-04	FloodFlathead County and Lake County · forecast zone West Glacier Region Major damage from flooding occurred mainly in Ravalli County were numerous roads were flooded and washed out. The worst road damage occurred on the Skalkaho Highway between the Bitterroot Valley and the Philipsburg/Anaconda area were water was diverted into the road in several places. Flooding on the Bitterroot River ...		3	0	–
2025-02-16	Winter StormMissoula County and Ravalli County · forecast zone Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys One storm episode: 8 records in 7 places, 2025-02-16 to 2025-02-17; the totals are the episode's. Multiple waves of subtropical moisture brought periods of moderate to heavy precipitation, primarily as snowfall across the Northern Rockies. Nightly bouts of black ice, often covered by fresh snow, created extremely slick travel conditions. Arctic air remained stalled along and just west of the Divide, occasionally ...		3	0	–
2023-12-16	Freezing FogMineral County and 2 more · forecast zone Lower Clark Fork Region Freezing fog led to ice formation on area roadways. Icy roads were likely a contributing factor to a three vehicle collision on Highway 93 near Evaro. The crash resulted in five injuries and two fatalities.		2	5	$68K
2002-01-12	High WindCascade County · forecast zone Cascade A high wind event moved across north central Montana on the 12th. Sustained wind speeds of 40 to 50 mph were very common throughout the afternoon, and into the evening hours. Wind gusts were near 70 mph during the peak of the event. These winds started to increase in strength around 1100 MST and then they did not ...	60 kt wind	2	4	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest records in Montana

Montana: the 8 records with the most damage since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Damage
2010-06-30	HailBozeman, Gallatin County	1.00 in hail	$81M
2010-06-20	TornadoBillings, Yellowstone County	EF2 0.69 mi x 120 yd	$41M
2007-06-16	HailGlasgow, Valley County	3.00 in hail	$33M
2025-12-11	FloodYakt, Lincoln County		$31M
1998-07-31	HailBillings, Yellowstone County	1.25 in hail	$16M
2007-06-16	HailNashua, Valley County	2.75 in hail	$11M
1994-06-06	Thunderstorm WindTeton County		$11M
1999-10-31	WildfireOutlook, Sheridan County		$11M

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: July 10, 1965 (tornado, Chouteau County); July 2, 1958 (tornado, Yellowstone County); June 29, 1961 (tornado, Dawson County); June 6, 1976 (tornado, Beaverhead County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.

Which counties in Montana have the most records?

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950 attributed to each county (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

Every county in Montana

Billion-dollar disasters in Montana

NOAA counted 37 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected Montana, led by drought (14). The most recent: Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather (2024); Southern/Eastern/Northwestern Drought and Heat Wave (2024); Southern/Midwestern Drought and Heatwave (2023).

Montana: billion-dollar disasters by type, 1980-2024
Type	Events	Total cost (NOAA's range)
Drought	14	$10.0B-$20.0B
Wildfire	14	$2.0B-$5.0B
Flooding	4	$250M-$500M
Severe Storm	4	$1.0B-$2.0B
Freeze	1	$5M-$100M

Every one of the 37, newest first

Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather2024
Southern/Eastern/Northwestern Drought and Heat Wave2024
Southern/Midwestern Drought and Heatwave2023
Western Wildfires2022
Western/Central Drought and Heat Wave2022
Western Wildfires2021
Western Drought and Heat Wave2021
Western Wildfires - California, Oregon, Washington Firestorms2020
Mountain West Severe Weather2018
Western Wildfires, California Firestorm2018
Western Wildfires, California Firestorm2017
North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana Drought2017
Rockies/Central Tornadoes and Severe Weather2016
Western and Alaskan Wildfires2015
Western Drought2015
Rockies/Midwest/Eastern Severe Weather2014
Western Wildfires2012
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave2012
Texas, New Mexico, Arizona Wildfires2011
Missouri River flooding2011
U.S. Wildfires2008
U.S. Drought2008
Western Wildfires2007
Midwest/Plains/Southeast Drought2006
Numerous Wildfires2006
California Wildfires2003
Western/Central Drought/Heat Wave2003
U.S. Drought2002
Western/Central/Southeast Drought/Heat Wave2000
Western Fire Season2000
West Coast Flooding1997
Pacific Northwest Severe Flooding1996
Western Fire Season1990
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave1988
Freeze/Cold Wave1983
Western Storms and Flooding1982
Central/Eastern Drought/Heat Wave1980

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for Montana, 1980-2024 (NCEI's last update; the product is archived). A disaster that affected several states counts in each. NCEI billion-dollar disasters.

Federal disaster declarations in Montana

FEMA has made 113 declarations for Montana since 1953: 43 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 65 fire management assistance declarations. The most common incident types are fire (68), flood (19), severe storm (14).

1950s 1
1960s 2
1970s 9
1980s 6
1990s 7
2000s 29
2010s 29
2020s 30

The 15 most recent declarations in Montana
Declared	Number	Type	Title	Areas named
2026-08-14	FM-5671	Fire	Sand Creek Fire	1
2026-05-29	DR-4915	Straight-Line Winds	Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds	1
2026-05-29	DR-4914	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds	1
2026-04-07	DR-4902	Straight-Line Winds	Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds	32
2026-04-07	DR-4901	Flood	Severe Storms and Flooding	1
2025-12-19	EM-3630	Flood	Severe Storms and Flooding	3
2025-09-11	DR-4887	Flood	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding	1
2025-08-26	FM-5611	Fire	Windy Rock Fire	1
2024-11-14	DR-4847	Severe Storm	Severe Storm and Straight-Line Winds	1
2024-08-23	DR-4813	Straight-Line Winds	Straight-Line Winds	2
2024-07-18	DR-4801	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm and Flooding	12
2024-07-12	FM-5507	Fire	Horse Gulch Fire	2
2023-10-11	DR-4745	Flood	Flooding	10
2023-08-19	FM-5480	Fire	River Road East Fire	1
2023-08-12	DR-4726	Flood	Flooding	8

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

Flood insurance claims in Montana

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $19.0 million on 2,162 claims in 46 Montana counties. Claims count insured losses only.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk across Montana's counties

How FEMA's National Risk Index rates Montana's counties overall: a model of expected future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of events.

Relatively Moderate 4
Relatively Low 18
Very Low 34

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.