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Gallatin National Forest; Wheatland County/Sweet Grass County; Stillwater County; Beartooth Ranger District Custer National Forest; Golden Valley County/Musselshell County; Yellowstone County
Golden Valley County, Montana severe weather history spans 156 recorded events between 1964 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 78.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,677 nationally and #41 in Montana.
156
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$50K
Property damage
The record
What the Golden Valley County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Golden Valley County, Montana severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 71 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 151 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $50K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Golden Valley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 123 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1964–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 14 | 0 | $0 | 65 | 1986–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2023 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Golden Valley County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
County officials and the Montana Department of Transportation reported significant flooding of streams and low lying areas across the area. The combination of rapid snow melt and ice resulted in high water levels along the Musselshell River from Harlowton to Shawmut…Ryegate and Lavina. In addition, some county roads were reported to be impassable.
County officials and the Montana Department of Transportation reported small stream and low land flooding. Numerous roads and some highways were reported to have water flowing across them. The Montana Department of Transportation reported that Secondary 300 South of Ryegate off Highway 12 was closed because the bridge had washed away from the road.
Microburst winds estimated at speeds upwards of 75 mph occurred in the vicinity of Ryegate. The microburst was a quarter mile wide and a mile long with the majority of the damage occurring in the town of Ryegate. Several structures were impacted with mostly minor roof damage. Numerous trees were impacted as large tree limbs were downed and several large pine trees uprooted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
899
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Oct 11, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 31, 2018 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 17, 2014 | Flood | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Golden Valley County, Montana?
156 events are on record between 1964 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $50K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Golden Valley County?
Hail, with 123 recorded events — 78.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Golden Valley County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Golden Valley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Golden Valley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Golden Valley County as very low risk, placing it in the 1 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Golden Valley 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
- Glacier County 171
- Granite County 57
- Garfield County 619
- Hill County 343
- Gallatin County 237
- Jefferson County 102
Cite this page
“Golden Valley County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/golden-valley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.