Sheridan County, Montana severe weather history spans 357 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 55.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,443 nationally and #16 in Montana.
357
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$6.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Sheridan County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sheridan County, Montana severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 121 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 337 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sheridan County, Montana record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is wildfire, with $6.0M 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 Sheridan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 197 | 0 | $32K | 3 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 123 | 0 | $165K | 103 | 1957–2026 |
| Tornado | 10 | 2 | $300K | F2 | 1971–2018 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2007 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $6.0M | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Sheridan County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-26 | EF3 | 2 | 1 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-07-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sheridan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2010 | Tornado | REDSTONE HILL DOT | 2 | 1 | $300K |
| Jul 14, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | RESERVE | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jun 22, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | PLENTYWOOD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Wind associated with a severe thunderstorm caused considerable roof damage to a home. The roof damage was severe enough that rain entered the southern part of the house and caused additional damage to sheetrock, furniture and carpeting.
A microburst caused from the outflow of dying thunderstorms south of the area caused a 107 year old barn to collapse. Observations from a RAWS site 8 miles away had a peak wind of 44 mph. No other structures on the farm were damaged.|
Lightning caused a fire at the Reserve oil station along Highway 13. The oil station was struck by lightning, and a cow directly across the highway was also struck and instantly killed. The lightning ignited the vent pipes at the top of two 400 barrel oil tanks.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,669
Population (ACS)
$124K
Median home value
6
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 17, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Dec 6, 2000 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sheridan County, Montana?
357 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sheridan County?
Hail, with 197 recorded events — 55.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sheridan County?
10 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 Sheridan County?
6 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sheridan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sheridan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sheridan County as very low risk, placing it in the 15 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sheridan 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
- Sanders County 64
- Silver Bow County 81
- Rosebud County 600
- Stillwater County 287
- Roosevelt County 612
- Sweet Grass County 188
Cite this page
“Sheridan County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/sheridan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.