148
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$22K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Big Horn County, Montana: 148 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 100. That places the county #1,551 nationally and #15 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Big Horn County, Montana: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Big Horn County is the 2000s, when 52 of the county's 148 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 Big Horn County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 33.7% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,551 for this hazard and #15 within Montana, putting it in the 50.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Big Horn County with 65 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 17, 2008 | DECKER | 61 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2022 | HARDIN | 56 | 1 | 6 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2021 | CROW AGENCY | 56 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 18, 1989 | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2025 | HARDIN | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | HARDIN | 65 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 2025 | HARDIN | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2024 | HARDIN | 61 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2024 | HARDIN | 61 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2024 | HARDIN | 70 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2024 | KIRBY | 57 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2024 | CROW AGENCY | 63 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | HARDIN AIRPARK | 65 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2024 | KIRBY | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Big Horn County
- Hail 247
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two fatalities, both drownings, occurred from a severe thunderstorm that moved across the Tongue River Reservoir. A man fell from a dock and a woman drowned when her small boat capsized as a result of very strong thunderstorm winds.
Around 4:15 PM MDT, a thunderstorm outflow moved through the Hardin area. It produced a wind gust of 62 mph in the 4:35 PM MDT observations from the Big Horn County Airport. Along with the outflow winds, blowing dust reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile on the AWOS. This resulted in a 20 to 30 vehicle pile up along Interstate 90 around mile marker 493 reported at 4:30 PM MDT, very close to the airport. Prior to this, the Montana DOT RWIS station at Arrow Creek Hill, 25 miles west of Hardin, reported a peak wind gust of 48 mph about 15 minutes prior. This accident resulted in 6 deaths and multiple injuries.
A strong thunderstorm outflow passed over Crow Agency around 630pm with winds to 55 mph. A couple hours later, a shower with up to 20dbz moved over Crow Agency around 830pm, producing winds to 64 mph across a small area. A roof blew off an arbor, throwing it across the street, striking a camper in the head and throat.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Big Horn County, Montana?
148 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Big Horn County between 1970 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Big Horn County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Big Horn County measured 100.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Big Horn 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 Big Horn County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/big-horn-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.