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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
Wheatland County, Montana severe weather history spans 160 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 66.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,661 nationally and #39 in Montana.
160
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$5K
Property damage
The record
What the Wheatland County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wheatland County, Montana severe weather history averages 2.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 59 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 153 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $5K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Wheatland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 107 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 30 | 0 | $0 | 70 | 1981–2025 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $0 | F0 | 1978–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2005 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2014 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2005 |
Decade by decade
Wheatland County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-07-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-09-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-08-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-06-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-22 | 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
An enhanced microburst, around the intersection of 297 and Bercail Road , with winds estimated at 70-75 mph, resulted in a swath about 2 to 3 miles of wind driven rain and hail that sheared grasses and crops. Significant crop damage occurred with grass and wheat fields sheared to the ground. In addition, numerous, large cottonwood limbs with leaves stripped were downed. A small, elevated silo was blown over and minor roof damage occurred to a couple of structures. Highway 287 had pea size to 1/2 inch size gravel blown on it from the shoulder.
Eight inches of rain was reported 14 miles south of Harlowton and 2 miles west of Highway 191. The heaviest rainfall impacted Lebo and American Fork Creeks. Highway 191 was closed due to high water over the roadway. Water was also reported washing over several rural county roads.
County officials and the Montana Department of Transportation reported significant flooding of streams and low lying areas across the area. The combination of rapid snow melt and ice resulted in high water levels along the Musselshell River from Harlowton to Shawmut…Ryegate and Lavina. In addition, some county roads were reported to be impassable.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,056
Population (ACS)
$181K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 18, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wheatland County, Montana?
160 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $5K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wheatland County?
Hail, with 107 recorded events — 66.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wheatland County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wheatland County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wheatland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wheatland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wheatland County as very low risk, placing it in the 4 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wheatland 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
- Valley County 1,247
- Wibaux County 242
- Treasure County 159
- Yellowstone County 945
- Toole County 143
- Teton County 216
Cite this page
“Wheatland County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/wheatland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.