Broadwater County, Montana severe weather history spans 80 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,958 nationally and #51 in Montana.
80
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$600K
Property damage
The record
What the Broadwater County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Broadwater County, Montana severe weather history averages 1.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 34 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 77 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Broadwater County, Montana record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $500K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Broadwater County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 45 | 0 | $500K | 74 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 27 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 2001–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2013–2023 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | F0 | 1992–1992 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
Decade by decade
Broadwater County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-06-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-05-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Broadwater County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2007 | Lightning | TOWNSEND | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm outflow winds caused branches to be knocked off trees near the town of Townsend…which fell on nearby power lines…knocking them down. No hail reported…but there was a significant rain shower nearby at the time.
A severe thunderstorm produced an 82 mph wind gust at Canyon Ferry Lake near Townsend, and a 61 mph wind gust in the city of Townsend. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. Hail up to one quarter inch was reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,668
Population (ACS)
$427K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 12, 2024 | Fire | HORSE GULCH FIRE | FM |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2014 | Flood | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 17, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Broadwater County, Montana?
80 events are on record between 1970 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $600K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Broadwater County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 45 recorded events — 56.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Broadwater County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Broadwater County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Broadwater County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Broadwater County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Broadwater County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Broadwater County, Montana severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Blaine County 252
- Carbon County 191
- Big Horn County 439
- Carter County 457
- Beaverhead County 196
- Cascade County 620
Cite this page
“Broadwater County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/broadwater-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.