Petroleum County, Montana severe weather history spans 225 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 51.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,281 nationally and #31 in Montana.
225
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Petroleum County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Petroleum County, Montana severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 220 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Petroleum County, Montana record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $515K 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 Petroleum County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 115 | 0 | $500K | 3.5 | 1963–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 72 | 0 | $20K | 78 | 1986–2026 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $515K | 0 | 2008–2022 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $3K | F2 | 1962–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2010 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Petroleum County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-08-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-07-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-07-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-07-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-06-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Petroleum County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 1998 | Lightning | WINNETT | 1 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
One man died after lightning struck him and a friend while the two were bow hunting. The two were hunting between Crooked Creek and Barrel Springs when a thunderstorm moved overhead. The two took cover under a tree. Lightning struck the pair knocking both unconscious. When the one man awoke he tried to revive his friend and then went for help. Help arrived in the remote area about two hours after the strike. The second man was pronounced dead at 9:50 p.m.
Over 5 to 10 inches of rainfall fell in a four day period. This caused massive flooding in area creeks and streams. The most significant damage was from Flatwillow Creek into the Musselshell River. Cooperative weather observers noted it was the highest they had ever seen the water on Flatwillow Creek, including the 2011 flood season. It was high enough that the USGS gage on Flatwillow Creek was washed out and is gone, and the Flatwillow Road bridge was also washed out. The County DES coordinator reported over 30 locations with damages to culverts, roads and bridges with damages of at least $515,000.
Petroleum County Emergency Manager reported hen egg sized hail, wind gusts to 50 mph, trees downed, roofs and siding damaged, and power outages. Event also resulted in 1 injury: A man was blown off his horse and later transported with injuries to Billings, MT.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
447
Population (ACS)
$201K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 11, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 30, 2018 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 27, 2017 | Fire | LODGEPOLE FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Winnett 195
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Petroleum County, Montana?
225 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Petroleum County?
Hail, with 115 recorded events — 51.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Petroleum County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Petroleum County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Petroleum County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Petroleum County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Petroleum County as very low risk, placing it in the 1 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Petroleum 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
- Park County 243
- Phillips County 610
- Musselshell County 324
- Pondera County 141
- Missoula County 272
- Powder River County 578
Cite this page
“Petroleum County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/petroleum-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.