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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
Gallatin County, Montana severe weather history spans 237 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,198 nationally and #30 in Montana.
237
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$61.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Gallatin County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gallatin County, Montana severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 69 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 40 events fall before 1990 and 197 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Gallatin County, Montana record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $60.0M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Gallatin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 115 | 0 | $78K | 92 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 94 | 0 | $60.0M | 2.75 | 1958–2024 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $3K | F1 | 1960–1997 |
| Wildfire | 4 | 0 | $320K | 0 | 2000–2003 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Gallatin County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-06-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gallatin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 1999 | Lightning | BOZEMAN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 1, 2000 | Wildfire | BELGRADE | 0 | 3 | $160K |
| Aug 15, 2000 | Wildfire | BELGRADE | 0 | 3 | $160K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Churchill area saw pretty good runoff occur. Several locations around Amsterdam (Camp and Godfrey Creeks) had water up against houses. The Highline Canal near Gallatin Gateway overtopped in several locations due to runoff. One house and Axtell Anceny Road were affected. Residents on Dry Creek Road and Swamp Creek Road had flood water around houses. This caused the evacuation of the Bootstrap Ranch. County Roads had several roads closed with water on them.
Corrects previous thunderstorm wind dmg report from 2 NW Bozeman. Trained spotter reports 4 inch diameter tree limb broken with leaves and debris on roadway in the vicinity of East Baxter Lane and North 19th Avenue in Bozeman. Time of event is estimated.
Received multiple reports and pictures from spotters, 911 dispatch and the public of at least one funnel cloud that moved over the Bozeman area, persisting for 15 to 20 minutes. Based upon pictures shared, this was most likely a cold air funnel.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
124,074
Population (ACS)
$668K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2020 | Fire | BRIDGER FOOTHILLS FIRE | FM |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jul 7, 2001 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Aug 30, 2000 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Gallatin County, Montana?
237 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $61.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gallatin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 115 recorded events — 48.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gallatin County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Gallatin County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gallatin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gallatin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gallatin County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 81 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gallatin 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
- Flathead County 203
- Garfield County 619
- Fergus County 515
- Glacier County 171
- Fallon County 348
- Golden Valley County 156
Cite this page
“Gallatin County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/gallatin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.