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Park County, Montana severe weather history spans 243 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,153 nationally and #28 in Montana.
243
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$168K
Property damage
The record
What the Park County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Park County, Montana severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 90 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 199 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $130K 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 Park County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 169 | 0 | $5K | 87 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 58 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $130K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $33K | EF2 | 2010–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2014 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Park County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Park County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 2011 | Lightning | CHICO | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2001 | Wildfire | LIVINGSTON | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Aug 24, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Livingston | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
County officials reported significant flooding across Park County, especially along the foothill locations and on the Shields River in the northern part of the county. The Shields River and its tributaries experienced significant flooding with adjacent low lying areas under water. Some of the creeks that were impacted by high water included Mission, Billman, and Fleshman Creeks. County officials also reported that several roads were closed, damaged and eventually washed out by high water. During the height of the event, the Department of Transportation closed the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 at Springdale due to water over the road from Peterson Creek.|Damage estimates were based on FEMA reports and Individual Assistance approvals.
At approximately 345pm to about 352pm, a supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado with surrounding microburst damage occurred about 15 miles northeast of Wilsall over the foothills of the Crazy Mountains in Park County. Thousands of trees were damaged, including large trees that were uprooted or snapped off at the base. Trees as large as three to four feet in diameter were uprooted and/or snapped. EF-2 scale damage with estimated wind speeds up to 120 mph was determined with this tornado.
Park County DES reported that there was erosion damage to the rip-rap levee on the north side of the Yellowstone River, approximately 1000 feet south of the Park County High School in the city of Livingston. An area 40' long eroded into 10' into the levee. The levee eroded parallel to the river to a length of 100' along the north bank.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,710
Population (ACS)
$468K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Aug 12, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 16, 2022 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 24, 2019 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Park County, Montana?
243 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $168K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Park County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 169 recorded events — 69.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Park County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Park County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Park County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Park County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Park County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 66 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Park 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
- Musselshell County 324
- Petroleum County 225
- Missoula County 272
- Phillips County 610
- Mineral County 41
- Pondera County 141
Cite this page
“Park County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/park-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.