108
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$7.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Missoula County, Montana: 108 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 80. That places the county #2,119 nationally and #24 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Missoula County, Montana: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Missoula County is the 2000s, when 40 of the county's 108 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Missoula County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 39.7% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,119 for this hazard and #24 within Montana, putting it in the 32.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Missoula County with 38 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1998 | MISSOULA | 60 | 1 | 0 | $260K |
| Jul 8, 2002 | MISSOULA | 52 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2025 | NAGOS | 48 | $1K |
| Aug 23, 2024 | SEELEY LAKE ARPT | 52 | $100K |
| Aug 23, 2024 | DESMET | 58 | $10K |
| Aug 19, 2024 | MISSOULA SOUTHWEST | 63 | $2K |
| Jul 25, 2024 | LOLO HOT SPGS | 70 | $4.0M |
| May 28, 2024 | POTOMAC | 56 | $10K |
| Aug 30, 2023 | SEELEY LAKE ARPT | 52 | $2K |
| Aug 29, 2023 | LOLO HOT SPGS | 52 | $5K |
| Aug 22, 2023 | LOLO | 52 | $5K |
| Jul 1, 2021 | (MSO)MISSOULA INTL A | 56 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from Missoula County
- Hail 117
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A macroburst brought damaging winds to the city of Missoula. A 74 mph wind gust was measured at the Missoula airport, but a majority of the damage occurred towards the |South Hills area. Major power lines and large trees were knocked down, and some residents were without power for four days. A local power company reported that several power poles, rated at 80 mph, were snapped in half. Over a million dollars in damages is estimated for this event.
Strong southerly outflow winds of 45 to 60 mph downed hundreds of live trees, primarily ponderosa and larch varieties. Most of the trees were uprooted but a few had tops blown out. The main area of damage extended from Salmon Lake to the Seeley Lake area with isolated areas of damage around the Morrell Falls trailhead and near Condon. Multi-hour power outages were common along with several vehicles damaged by fallen trees. In addition, hikers were stranded by fallen trees for a time at the Morrell Falls trailhead.
Multiple trees of varying thicknesses were either blown over or snapped in the Lake Alva campground. One spruce tree larger than 20 inches in diameter fell lengthwise onto a camper, totaling the trailer but sparing an infant in a bassinet. Another camper was also damaged as a tree fell lengthwise onto it but no one was injured. Property damage of both campers was estimated to be sixty thousand dollars.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Missoula County, Montana?
108 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Missoula County between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Missoula County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Missoula County measured 80.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Missoula County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Missoula County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/missoula-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.