Cascade County, Montana severe weather history spans 620 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #537 nationally and #3 in Montana.
620
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$2.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Cascade County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cascade County, Montana severe weather history averages 8.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 183 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 110 events fall before 1990 and 510 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cascade County, Montana record is flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.1M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cascade County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 274 | 0 | $600K | 87 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 253 | 0 | $4K | 3 | 1955–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 37 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $300K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Flood | 15 | 2 | $60K | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $1.1M | F2 | 1958–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2023 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2004–2019 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 56 | 2022–2022 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Cascade County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-07-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 27.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cascade County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2023 | Flood | ARMINGTON | 2 | 0 | $60K |
| Aug 5, 2004 | Hail | GREAT FALLS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2004 | Lightning | GREAT FALLS | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 2, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
BTCM8, Belt Creek near Monarch, crested at 6.79 feet on May 17th. Water levels resulted in strong currents that claimed the lives of two men visiting from Canada. The two men went into the fast moving water to retrieve their dog. The dog made it to shore, but the two men were pulled downstream and ultimately drowned. Water levels also flooded a portion of Sluice Boxes State Park's entrance parking lot as well as fields and yards from Sluice Boxes northward to Armington. A house in Neihart was flooded near the area were O'Brien Creek enters Belt Creek.
Water and debris rushed across several areas of Wilson Butte Road resulted in damage and impacts. Water flowed out of the rockier boulder terrain on the east side of the road, crossed the road with water depth being 2 to 3 feet deep at times. Water and debris entered at least two homes. One culvert was completely washed out with drainage pipes unearthed. Some wheat crops were flattened. NWS Employee that lives along the road had water enter their basement. Wilson Butte Road was impassable for approximately an hour.
Great Falls Fire department reported a structure fire caused by lightning striking a tree and adjacent house. The department received the report shortly after 10 AM. The timing of the lightning strike was determined by the lightning detection network. Also, the property damage cost was estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
84,606
Population (ACS)
$265K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 17, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Aug 30, 2000 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| May 27, 1981 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Great Falls 153
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cascade County, Montana?
620 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $2.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cascade County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 274 recorded events — 44.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cascade County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cascade County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cascade County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cascade County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cascade County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cascade 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
- Carter County 457
- Chouteau County 331
- Carbon County 191
- Custer County 544
- Broadwater County 80
- Daniels County 278
Cite this page
“Cascade County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/cascade-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.