Richland County, Montana severe weather history spans 491 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #907 nationally and #12 in Montana.
491
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$1.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Richland County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Richland County, Montana severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 179 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 463 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 $1.3M 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 Richland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 215 | 0 | $1.3M | 103 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 214 | 0 | $152K | 2.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $295K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $105K | F2 | 1962–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2006 |
| Frost/Freeze | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Richland 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: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-08-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-08-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Richland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2006 | Lightning | SIDNEY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2015 | Tornado | CRANE | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Jun 24, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAMBERT | 0 | 1 | $162K |
| Jun 20, 2003 | Lightning | SIDNEY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Six inches of rain falling in less than four hours caused flash flooding throughout much of Richland County. Five bridges in the county sustained damage. One family along Lone Tree Creek was evacuated as the normally dry creek rose four feet. Numerous county roads were closed due to washouts and flood waters over the roads. The added water put a strain on the Vaux Dam and there was some concern it would fail.
Initial reports came from Richland County Sheriff's Department and then also from trained spotters in the area. There were a total of 8 large steel tanks blown over that weigh 12,000-14,000 pounds each. They were empty, and not staked into the ground yet. They stood about 25 feet tall and 8 feet across. Consulted with expert damage assessors with NWS Warning Decision Training Branch and at the University of Oklahoma, who agreed with the NWS Glasgow wind speed estimate of 95 mph winds to blow those tanks over. A 5th wheel camper was also blown over at the site, and an occupant was injured, but was not transported to the closest medical center. A pickup truck was also crushed under the tanks.
Based on photos from emergency management and in discussion with those in the area, the wind speed is estimated to be at least 90 mph. Trees were stripped of their leaves, windows were broken, There was a home with part of the roof torn off, windows broken a shed completely destroyed, and a nearly one hundred year old barn that had been restored in the past two years that was destroyed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,235
Population (ACS)
$263K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2021 | Other | STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2014 | Flood | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 17, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Sidney 135
- Enid 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Richland County, Montana?
491 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Richland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 215 recorded events — 43.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Richland County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Richland County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Richland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Richland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Richland County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 53 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Richland 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
- Ravalli County 180
- Roosevelt County 612
- Prairie County 337
- Rosebud County 600
- Powell County 103
- Sanders County 64
Cite this page
“Richland County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/richland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.