Prairie County, Montana: hazard risk
FEMA rates Prairie County's overall risk Very Low (score 4.2 of 100, higher than 4% of rated U.S. counties). Its storm record holds 527 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 64.2 | $1.3M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 24.6 | $17K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 61.0 | $67K |
| Drought | Very Low | 23.1 | $6K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 18.6 | $74 |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 18.6 | $40K |
| Hail | Very Low | 16.2 | $42K |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 8.9 | $48K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 8.7 | $38K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 8.0 | $19K |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | 5.8 | $626K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 5.3 | $4K |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | 2.3 | $669 |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 185 | 0 | $173K | 4th of 56 | 2302nd of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 118 | 0 | $846K | 14th of 56 | 2620th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 74 | 0 | $14K | 33rd of 56 | 2363rd of 3,077 |
| Drought | 44 | 0 | – | 6th of 56 | 1477th of 3,063 |
| High wind and dust storms | 42 | 0 | $85K | 41st of 56 | 1657th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 24 | 0 | $198K | 9th of 56 | 2616th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 22 | 0 | – | 19th of 56 | 1618th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 8 | 0 | – | 8th of 56 | 1475th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 3 | 0 | – | 9th of 56 | 2235th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 0 | $374K | 31st of 56 | 2841st of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 0 | – | 35th of 56 | 1095th of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Prairie County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.