McCone County, Montana severe weather history spans 479 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #954 nationally and #13 in Montana.
479
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$5.6M
Property damage
The record
What the McCone County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McCone County, Montana severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 163 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 460 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McCone County, Montana record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $4.4M 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 McCone County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 237 | 0 | $419K | 4.5 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 199 | 0 | $4.4M | 109 | 1959–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $223K | 0 | 1999–2019 |
| Tornado | 9 | 1 | $558K | F2 | 1954–2010 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
Decade by decade
McCone County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-08-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-07-09 | EF1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-07-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-07-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-06-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-08-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McCone County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1983 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jul 20, 1996 | Hail | CIRCLE | 0 | 2 | $30K |
| Aug 27, 1995 | Hail | Vida | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Damaging downburst winds blew down 25 steel electric towers as well as 25 wooden power poles. It also caused 100 percent crop damage over a 20 mile long area starting from 10 miles north and northwest of Circle, then southeast along Highway 200 to the Dawson County line. The crop damage ranged from 1 to 5 miles wide. Several farms had significant damage to buildings and property. The town of Circle had the grain elevators crushed in, with significant wind damage to other portions of the elevator buildings. Metal sheeting from the grain elevators was found downstream nearly a mile away. Many houses and vehicles had windows broken or shattered, and large trees were uprooted. The Circle Airport had a measured wind gust of 113 mph.
Several power line poles (both from the local electric cooperative and the Department of Energy, which were replaced in recent years) were snapped at their bases in this area. A nearby home weather station recorded a 79 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
Public reported wind damage just west of Brockway and just south of US Highway 200. Former emergency manager's roof was blown half off, and part of his garage was collapsed. Event time is estimated. House was totaled by insurance.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,670
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 |
| Aug 13, 2021 | Other | 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 |
| Jul 10, 2013 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Circle 116
- Brockway 108
- Vida 105
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McCone County, Montana?
479 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $5.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McCone County?
Hail, with 237 recorded events — 49.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McCone County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McCone County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McCone County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McCone County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McCone County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McCone 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
- Lincoln County 70
- Madison County 84
- Liberty County 143
- Meagher County 87
- Lewis and Clark County 314
- Mineral County 41
Cite this page
“McCone County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/mccone-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.