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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
Yellowstone County, Montana severe weather history spans 945 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 53.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #173 nationally and #2 in Montana.
945
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$54.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Yellowstone County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Yellowstone County, Montana severe weather history averages 13.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 346 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 87 events fall before 1990 and 858 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Yellowstone County, Montana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $32.6M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Yellowstone County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 506 | 0 | $14.1M | 3.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 355 | 2 | $3.2M | 91 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $4.3M | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Tornado | 21 | 0 | $32.6M | F2 | 1955–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2013 |
| Flood | 13 | 1 | $300K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2007 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 1998–2009 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 60 | 2003–2003 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Yellowstone County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Yellowstone County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 21, 2011 | Flood | MOSSMAIN | 1 | 0 | $300K |
| Jul 5, 2009 | Lightning | BILLINGS HGTS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | BILLINGS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 24, 2006 | Lightning | BILLINGS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 3, 1998 | Lightning | BILLINGS | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 27, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | BILLINGS LOGAN ARPT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A line of strong thunderstorms moved into the area west of Billings around 730pm MDT. A lightning strike occurred around 800pm MDT at Castlerock Park where the Celebrate Freedom community gathering was occuring. A visitor (26 year old male resident of Billings) at the celebration was struck in the forehead and died.
Numerous observations of large hail were reported by spotters, amateur radio operators and National Weather Service personnel. The hail damaged several vehicles in the Billings area, and also caused heavy damage to crops.
Several reports of hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter were reported in and around Billings from spotters, amateur radio operators and law enforcement. The hail severely damaged several cars and roofs. The hail also caused heavy damage to crops in the Billings area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
168,957
Population (ACS)
$350K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2022 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 17, 2021 | Fire | BUFFALO WILDFIRE | FM |
| Sep 2, 2020 | Fire | BOBCAT FIRE | FM |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Fire | FALLING STAR FIRE | FM |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Billings 175
- Billings Logan Arpt 114
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Yellowstone County, Montana?
945 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $54.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Yellowstone County?
Hail, with 506 recorded events — 53.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Yellowstone County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Yellowstone County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Yellowstone County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Yellowstone County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Yellowstone County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Yellowstone 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
- Wibaux County 242
- Wheatland County 160
- Valley County 1,247
- Treasure County 159
- Toole County 143
- Teton County 216
Cite this page
“Yellowstone County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/yellowstone-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.