Custer County, Montana: hazard risk
FEMA rates Custer County's overall risk Very Low (score 42.1 of 100, higher than 42% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 13 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather. Its storm record holds 686 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 86.0 | $230K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 87.0 | $4.3M |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 76.8 | $493K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 60.6 | $575K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 85.4 | $550K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 47.6 | $184K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 38.3 | $3.5M |
| Landslide | Very Low | 59.0 | $2K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 38.3 | $162K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 31.4 | $68K |
| Drought | Very Low | 26.9 | $13K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 16.2 | $126K |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | 10.0 | $4K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 254 | 1 | $683K | 9th of 56 | 2601st of 3,080 |
| Hail | 239 | 0 | $1K | 28th of 56 | 2640th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 80 | 0 | – | 55th of 56 | 2724th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 53 | 0 | – | 54th of 56 | 2168th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 31 | 0 | $3.4M | 30th of 56 | 2829th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 8 | 0 | $835K | 26th of 56 | 2809th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 7 | 0 | – | 46th of 56 | 2216th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 5 | 0 | – | 47th of 56 | 2811th of 3,076 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 0 | – | 42nd of 56 | 1229th of 2,972 |
| Drought | 1 | 0 | – | 25th of 56 | 2482nd of 3,063 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | – | 24th of 56 | 2402nd of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Custer County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.