Montana landslides and avalanches
Every recorded landslide or avalanche record since 1996 · 26 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 76 landslide and avalanche records in Montana from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 3.4 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 13, 2008 avalanche in Flathead County and Lake County: 2 deaths and 1 injury. Montana ranks 10th of 37 states and territories by count and 16th of 37 per square mile.
Landslides and avalanches in Montana, 1996 to 2026
Landslide records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- 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
- Records
- 761996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 3.4average
- Deaths
- 2614 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $539Kas filed
- Busiest year
- 201411 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are landslide and avalanche records common in Montana?
Montana averages about 3.4 landslide and avalanche records a year since 2000, 10th of 37 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2014 (11). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Montana records 5.2 landslide and avalanche records since 1996, 16th of 37 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Montana have the most landslide and avalanche records?
Per square mile, Lake County leads Montana: 15 days with a landslide or avalanche record since 1996, 10.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Flathead County has the most landslide records (17 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the slide season in Montana?
41% of its landslide and avalanche records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (17 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 17 · Feb 14 · Mar 6 · Apr 3 · May 3 · Jun 5 · Jul 5 · Aug 3 · Sep 2 · Oct 0 · Nov 5 · Dec 13 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest landslide and avalanche records in Montana?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-01-13 | AvalancheFlathead County and Lake County · forecast zone West Glacier Region Flathead County Search and Rescue personnel reported a large avalanche on the back side of Big Mountain Ski Resort. Two skiers were killed and one was injured. The avalanche was initiated by another skier who was skiing out of bounds in an area closed to skiing. | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2020-01-01 | AvalancheLake County and 2 more · forecast zone Potomac / Seeley Lake Region Three snowmobilers were involved in an avalanche approximately 1 mile northwest of Lake Dinah, or about 12 miles northwest of Seeley Lake. The riders were caught and carried a short distance; two were fully buried, and one extricated himself after being separated from his snowmobile. The dimensions of the avalanche ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-01-14 | AvalancheFlathead County and Lake County · forecast zone West Glacier Region Three snowmobilers were caught in a massive avalanche at Red Meadow Lake near Olney. One person survived, while two others perished. One of the fatalities was the result of injuries sustained in the incident. The other was caused by suffocation, a result of being buried. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-02-28 | AvalancheMissoula County and Ravalli County · forecast zone Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys Near record snowfall for the month of February and strong easterly winds associated with an arctic air mass intrusion, caused severe wind loading on the western slopes of Mount Jumbo between Feb. 27-28. A snowboarder triggered a hard slab avalanche on a west facing, 35 degree slope of Mount Jumbo during the late ... | 1 | 2 | $398K | |
| 2021-12-27 | AvalancheCarbon County and 3 more · forecast zone Absaroka / Beartooth Mountains Please see episode narrative. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2012-01-06 | AvalancheDeer Lodge County and 3 more · forecast zone Butte / Blackfoot Region A snowmobiler triggered an avalanche 6 miles southeast of Philipsburg. One fatality. | 1 | 1 | $643 | |
| 2010-12-29 | AvalancheGranite County and 2 more · forecast zone Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains The Missoula sheriff's office reported that 3 skiers were caught in an avalanche when they were sking outside of the ski area boundaries. One skier was injured but alert. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-02-19 | AvalancheCarbon County and 3 more · forecast zone Absaroka / Beartooth Mountains Please see Episode Narrative. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2014-11-26 | AvalancheCarbon County and 3 more · forecast zone Absarokee / Beartooth Mountains A group of seven snowmobilers was riding north of Cooke City when an 18 year old from Minnesota was caught in an avalanche on a steep, northwest facing slope on Crown Butte outside Cooke City. The victim was stopped on the slope while two others were riding on it when the avalanche was triggered. The others rode off, ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-03-11 | AvalancheCarbon County and 3 more · forecast zone Absarokee / Beartooth Mountains A group of seven snowmobilers was riding north of Cooke City when an 18 year old from Minnesota was caught in an avalanche on a steep, northwest facing slope on Crown Butte outside Cooke City. The victim was stopped on the slope while two others were riding on it when the avalanche was triggered. The others rode off, ... | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest landslide and avalanche records in Montana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-02-28 | AvalancheMissoula County and Ravalli County · forecast zone Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys | 1 | 2 | $398K | |
| 2025-07-31 | Debris FlowCanyon Ferry, Lewis and Clark County | 0 | 0 | $11K | |
| 2025-08-16 | Debris FlowSula, Ravalli County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-08-01 | Debris FlowHamilton Rvlli Co Ar, Ravalli County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2012-01-06 | AvalancheDeer Lodge County and 3 more · forecast zone Butte / Blackfoot Region | 1 | 1 | $643 | |
| 2025-07-30 | Debris FlowSula, Ravalli County | 0 | 0 | $500 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are landslide and avalanche records becoming more frequent in Montana?
Montana's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Montana | United States | Montana's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 4 | 98 | 4.1% |
| 2000s | 11 | 790 | 1.4% |
| 2010s | 34 | 1,304 | 2.6% |
| 2020-26 | 27 | 1,224 | 2.2% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent landslide and avalanche records in Montana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | Debris FlowEddy, Sanders County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-16 | Debris FlowSula, Ravalli County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-08-01 | Debris FlowHamilton Rvlli Co Ar, Ravalli County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2025-07-31 | Debris FlowCanyon Ferry, Lewis and Clark County | 0 | 0 | $11K | |
| 2025-07-30 | Debris FlowSula, Ravalli County | 0 | 0 | $500 | |
| 2025-04-01 | AvalanchePark County and 2 more · forecast zone Crazy Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-21 | AvalancheDeer Lodge County and 3 more · forecast zone Butte / Blackfoot Region | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-12-31 | AvalancheCarbon County and 3 more · forecast zone Absaroka / Beartooth Mountains | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-02-19 | AvalancheCarbon County and 3 more · forecast zone Absaroka / Beartooth Mountains | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-02-06 | AvalancheGallatin County · forecast zone Gallatin | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-12-27 | AvalancheCarbon County and 3 more · forecast zone Absaroka / Beartooth Mountains | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2020-01-01 | AvalancheLake County and 2 more · forecast zone Potomac / Seeley Lake Region | 2 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for landslide and avalanche records in Montana
FEMA has declared 2 disasters in Montana for landslide and avalanche, counting its incident type and declarations that name landslide or mudslide in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 2 were major disasters, the latest on March 15, 1986.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-03-15 | DR-761 | Heavy Rains, Landslides & Flooding | 16 |
| 1974-01-29 | DR-417 | Severe Storms, Flooding & Landslides | 7 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Lake County: the county's whole recordThe Montana county with the most landslide and avalanche records per square mile
- Landslides and avalanches across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in MontanaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Montana8,475 records
- Hail in Montana8,391 records
- High wind and dust storms in Montana7,814 records