Lake County, Montana severe weather history spans 111 recorded events between 1961 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 43.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,849 nationally and #45 in Montana.
111
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$895K
Property damage
The record
What the Lake County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lake County, Montana severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 43 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 101 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $702K in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 48 | 0 | $17K | 2 | 1962–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 46 | 0 | $702K | 78 | 1961–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2006–2019 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $35K | F0 | 1991–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $140K | 0 | 1997–2009 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-09-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-07-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
National Weather Service storm survey crew saw numerous trees and several power poles down along the storm's track. Two structures received roof damage. The damage observed was indicative of straight line winds. A flag pole was bent in half southwest of Polson. Based upon the damage observed, winds were estimated to be between 80 to 100 mph.
A 72 foot, 26 inch diameter Douglas Fir fell down from very strong thunderstorm winds and crashed onto owners' house. Soil moisture was relatively dry, but as seen in photo much of the branches on the trunk except at the top had already been cut off before this event. A forester examined the tree and found that its roots had been cut on the west side of the tree before the event.
The public reported a tornado 10 miles west northwest of Pablo and also a waterspout over Flathead Lake north of Polson. In addition, a sail boat (located on the Flathead County/Lake County line) was spun around at least once in a counterclockwise direction and then sank.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
32,561
Population (ACS)
$422K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 24, 2019 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 17, 2014 | Flood | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lake County, Montana?
111 events are on record between 1961 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $895K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lake County?
Hail, with 48 recorded events — 43.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lake 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 Lake County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lake 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
- Judith Basin County 247
- Lewis and Clark County 314
- Jefferson County 102
- Liberty County 143
- Hill County 343
- Lincoln County 70
Cite this page
“Lake County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/lake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.