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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
Musselshell County, Montana severe weather history spans 324 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 71.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,642 nationally and #21 in Montana.
324
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$6.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Musselshell County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Musselshell County, Montana severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 135 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 315 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $6.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Musselshell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 230 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 45 | 0 | $14K | 80 | 1983–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $6.0M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $28K | F2 | 1986–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Musselshell County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-07-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 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
A slow moving thunderstorm with heavy rain caused water to run over roads on the east end of Roundup. Over one inch of rain fell during a ten minute period. The Roundup Tribune reported that several basements were flooded.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a funnel cloud pass over Roundup, and a tornado touchdown north of US12 1 mile east of Roundup. Several trees were downed, a chicken shed was demolished and several sections of wood fencing were destroyed.
The peak river stage of the Musselshell River at Roundup was 11.5 feet, a foot and a half above flood stage and the sixth highest crest on record. These high water levels moved downstream toward the town of Melstone where flooding was reported along Highway 12 between Roundup and Melstone. Bender Road was washed out between Log Cabin Road and County Road #4. In addition, Ragged Point Road was washed out approximately 9 miles up near the CRP Fields.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,152
Population (ACS)
$235K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 2, 2020 | Fire | BOBCAT FIRE | FM |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 31, 2018 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 9, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Roundup 148
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Musselshell County, Montana?
324 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Musselshell County?
Hail, with 230 recorded events — 71.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Musselshell County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Musselshell County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Musselshell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Musselshell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Musselshell County as very low risk, placing it in the 17 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Musselshell 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
- Missoula County 272
- Park County 243
- Mineral County 41
- Petroleum County 225
- Meagher County 87
- Phillips County 610
Cite this page
“Musselshell County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/musselshell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.