Carter County, Montana severe weather history spans 457 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 63.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,032 nationally and #14 in Montana.
457
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$661K
Property damage
The record
What the Carter County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Carter County, Montana severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 165 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 431 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $400K in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Carter County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 290 | 0 | $5K | 4.5 | 1960–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 121 | 0 | $3K | 106 | 1975–2025 |
| Tornado | 18 | 0 | $253K | F1 | 1954–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2005 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $400K | 0 | 2009–2019 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Carter County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 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
Record to near record flooding reported on rivers and streams across Carter County. A total of 10 homes were reported as damaged by floodwaters. Damage estimates were based on FEMA reports and Individual Assistance approvals. On Boxelder Creek, at it's highest levels, water was flowing across Highway 277 between Hammond and Ridgeway and across Highway 323 (3 miles north of Belltower) about a half mile wide in spots. On the Little Missouri River, record flooding was reported. Significant flooding noted in the Albion area where one individual had to be rescued as floodwaters surrounded their house. Two dams also breached due to the high waters. Widespread farmland flooding occurred along Thompson Creek in southern Carter County between Ridge and Alzada. Significant erosion and flooding occurred along numerous small stream tributaries all across the county due to the rapid rainfall rates, resulting in considerable damage to county roads. At one point, Hammond Road between Hammond and where it intersects Highway 323 just northeast of Ridgeway was flooded in 7 different places.
Rapid snowmelt caused streams within Carter County to run high. In addition to Box Elder Creek, minor flooding was also reported along the Little Missouri River and other streams. Residents along Box Elder Creek from near Hammond to Ridgeway, Belltower and Mill Iron also experienced minor flooding. In addition, heavy rain showers resulted in additional rises to the streams. One rancher reported fence repairs totally $80,000.
During the early morning of July 19th at 12:44am, a tornado briefly touched down 3 miles northeast of Ridgeway in Carter County. The tornado was 100 yards wide and was on the ground for a half a mile. There was considerable damage to buildings on a local ranch. A shop building had 2 doors blown in and roof damage. Two other sheds had significant roof damage. Several metal rooftops were torn off and peeled back. A small garage was destroyed with a vehicle displaced inside, turned and moved by a couple of feet. In addition, several trees were snapped (approximately 1 foot diameter), with other smaller trees blown over or uprooted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,308
Population (ACS)
$199K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 9, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 17, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 13, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ekalaka 107
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Carter County, Montana?
457 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $661K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Carter County?
Hail, with 290 recorded events — 63.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Carter County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Carter County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Carter County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Carter County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Carter County as very low risk, placing it in the 2 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Carter 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
- Carbon County 191
- Cascade County 620
- Broadwater County 80
- Chouteau County 331
- Blaine County 252
- Custer County 544
Cite this page
“Carter County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/carter-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.