Montana tornadoes
Every recorded tornado since 1950 · 51 counties with a record
Montana has recorded 444 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, about 5.6 a year since 2000, with 11 rated F3/EF3 or stronger (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). The deadliest was the July 26, 2010 tornado through Sheridan (2 deaths in Montana). Montana ranks 32nd of 52 states and territories by count and 44th of 51 per square mile.
Tornadoes in Montana, 1950 to 2025
Tornadoes per year (SPC; a tornado that crossed a state line counts in each state it touched).
- 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
- 1996: tornado reports rose with NEXRAD Doppler radar, mid-1990s (SPC)
- Tornadoes
- 4441950 to 2025
- A year since 2000
- 5.6average
- Deaths
- 432 injuries
- F3/EF3 or stronger
- 112% of tornadoes
- Busiest year
- 199130 tornadoes
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025 (state segments). SPC severe weather database.
Are tornadoes common in Montana?
Montana averages about 5.6 tornadoes a year since 2000, 32nd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1991 (30). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Montana records 31 tornadoes since 1950, 44th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA SPC, tornadoes 1950-2025, 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 tornadoes?
Per square mile, Wibaux County leads Montana: 8 days with a tornado record since 1950, 9.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Valley County has the most tornado records (44 since 1950); 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 1950 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is tornado season in Montana?
71% of its tornadoes since 1950 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (165 tornadoes).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 2 · Apr 6 · May 48 · Jun 165 · Jul 150 · Aug 64 · Sep 7 · Oct 1 · Nov 1 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments by the month they began, 1950-2025.
What were the deadliest tornadoes in Montana?
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Killed | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-26 | Sheridan | EF3 | 18 mi | 2 | 1 |
| 1952-07-19 | Wibaux · WibauxWhole track: MT, ND; 1 death | F3 | 9.1 mi | 1 | 2 |
| 1983-07-09 | McCone | F1 | 1 mi | 1 | 1 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (state segments: deaths and path inside Montana), 1950-2025; counties are the first four the SPC lists for the segment. SPC severe weather database.
Where have the strongest tornadoes tracked in Montana?
- F2/EF2
- F3/EF3
- F4/EF4
- F5/EF5
- no end point filed
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, start and end points of each track; county lines: Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (2017), via us-atlas. SPC severe weather database. Census cartographic boundary files.
The strongest tornadoes in Montana
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-06-29 | Glendive · Dawson | F4 | 15.9 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 2010-07-26 | Sheridan | EF3 | 18 mi | 880 yd | 2 |
| 1952-07-19 | Wibaux · Wibaux | F3 | 9.1 mi | 10 yd | 1 |
| 1952-07-19 | Baker · Fallon | F3 | 55.5 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1965-06-16 | Billings · Yellowstone | F3 | 20.6 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1988-07-05 | Chouteau | F3 | 12 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
| 1988-07-05 | Chouteau | F3 | 10 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
| 2014-06-17 | Carter | EF3 | 10 mi | 880 yd | 0 |
| 1953-05-24 | Wibaux · Wibaux | F3 | 9.3 mi | 400 yd | 0 |
| 1988-07-05 | Chouteau | F3 | 3 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database; F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after.
The longest tornado paths in Montana
| Date | Tornado and counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-07-19 | Baker · Fallon | F3 | 55.5 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1962-08-04 | Valley | F2 | 42.9 mi | 73 yd | 0 |
| 1962-07-18 | Ismay to Plevna · Prairie, Custer, Fallon | F2 | 40.6 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1953-06-23 | Lindsay · Dawson | F2 | 33.5 mi | 1,320 yd | 0 |
| 2005-06-06 | Carter | F0 | 30 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 2001-07-20 | Phillips, Valley | F0 | 29 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 2001-07-20 | Garfield, McCone | F0 | 28 mi | 75 yd | 0 |
| 1964-07-02 | Teton | F1 | 27 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 2013-07-15 | Roosevelt | EF2 | 22.99 mi | 440 yd | 0 |
| 1954-08-26 | McCone | F2 | 20.9 mi | 880 yd | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments: path length and width inside the state. SPC severe weather database.
Tornadoes in every Montana county
All 51 counties: tornadoes whose track touched each, and the strongest
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database: whole tornadoes whose track touched the county (any state segment listing it). SPC severe weather database.
The costliest tornadoes in Montana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-20 | TornadoBillings, Yellowstone County Based on the observed damage, the tornado was classified as an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Wind speeds within an EF-2 tornado range from 111-135 mph, and the associated damage observed at the Billings MetraPark and nearby businesses was consistent with this classification. The damage path was 120 yards wide ... | EF2 0.69 mi x 120 yd | 0 | 0 | $41M |
| 1999-08-14 | TornadoLewistown, Fergus County NUMEROUS HAIL REPORTS 1 TO 2 INCHES...ONE WIND ESTIMATE AHEAD OF TORNADO 87KT | F2 5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 3 | $7.1M |
| 2016-06-11 | TornadoBaker Airport, Fallon County The pre-storm environment for eastern Montana was such that severe weather was likely. Surface dew point values in the Baker area were in the lower 60s with strong southeasterly flow converging in the vicinity of a stationary surface trough. This area of strong surface convergence, which also separated moist rich air ... | EF3 3 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 7 | $1.8M |
| 1994-06-06 | TornadoCut Bank, Glacier County | F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| 1994-04-24 | TornadoStanford, Judith Basin County The Bill Skelton ranch was hit by two tornadoes. Damage was extensive. A barn roof made from 8 to 12 inch logs was carried away. A two foot in diameter cottonwood tree was snapped five feet above the ground. A 24-foot horse trailer was picked up and carried 65 yards landing on its top and it hit and damaged a tractor ... | F2 1.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $995K |
| 2013-07-15 | TornadoVolt, Roosevelt County The tornado was first spotted about 19 miles north of Wolf Point and the NWS Storm Damage Team found downed tree limbs and a de-barked tree trunk. As it moved eastward, the tornado rolled heavy hay bails, snapped a road-sign post and flipped a loose yard shed. A few miles west of the Poplar River and just north of ... | EF2 22.99 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $633K |
| 1999-06-21 | TornadoOpheim, Valley County Over almost a four hour period, numerous severe thunderstorms moved from southwest to northeast across northeast Montana. These storms produced winds to 92 miles an hour, several small tornadoes and hail to a size of 1.75 inches. The community of Opheim was hit hardest by straight line winds and a weak tornado. Most ... | F1 0.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $443K |
| 2010-07-26 | TornadoRedstone Hill Dot, Sheridan County This was the deadliest tornado in Montana since 1923, and only the fourth EF-3 on record. The supercell thunderstorm developed strong rotation, and rotating wall clouds and brief funnel clouds were reported in Daniels County. As the storm moved southeast, it intensified and a large, long-lived tornado formed. The ... | EF3 18 mi x 880 yd | 2 | 1 | $406K |
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, in 2025 dollars.
Are tornadoes becoming more frequent in Montana?
Montana's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. The Storm Prediction Center notes that tornado reports rose especially around the installation of the NEXRAD Doppler radar network in the mid-1990s, so a rising count is partly better detection; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Montana | United States | Montana's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 22 | 4,837 | 0.5% |
| 1960s | 38 | 6,863 | 0.6% |
| 1970s | 51 | 8,633 | 0.6% |
| 1980s | 55 | 8,250 | 0.7% |
| 1990s | 137 | 12,205 | 1.1% |
| 2000s | 64 | 12,892 | 0.5% |
| 2010s | 60 | 12,232 | 0.5% |
| 2020-25 | 17 | 8,234 | 0.2% |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments.
The most recent tornadoes in Montana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-07-12 | TornadoLarslan, Valley County | EF0 3 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-07-12 | TornadoLarslan, Valley County | EF0 2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-07-12 | TornadoBaylor, Valley County | EF0 1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-05-16 | TornadoWhitewater, Phillips County | EFU 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-08-06 | TornadoSnowline, Beaverhead County | EF0 1.64 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-08-06 | TornadoBoulder Airport, Jefferson County | EFU 3.66 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-06-10 | TornadoBox Elder, Hill County | EFU 2.11 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-06-09 | TornadoHinsdale, Valley County | EFU 0.04 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-06-01 | TornadoRichland, Daniels County | EFU 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-05-09 | TornadoSt Ignatius Airport, Lake County | EF0 0.47 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2022-08-26 | TornadoCleveland, Blaine County | EF0 3.06 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-07-18 | TornadoGlentana, Valley County | EF2 8 mi x 457 yd | 0 | 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 tornadoes in Montana
FEMA has declared 1 disaster in Montana for tornadoes, counting its incident type and declarations that name tornado in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); one was a major disaster, the latest on August 3, 2016.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-08-03 | DR-4275 | Tornado | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Wibaux County: the county's whole recordThe Montana county with the most tornadoes per square mile
- Tornadoes across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in MontanaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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