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Jefferson County, Montana severe weather history spans 102 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,876 nationally and #47 in Montana.
102
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$300K
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Montana severe weather history averages 1.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 45 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 86 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $200K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 56 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 29 | 0 | $100K | 87 | 1958–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2022 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EFU | 2023–2023 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 2000 | Wildfire | BOULDER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency manager relayed photos, and several photos were received via social media, of a well documented tornado in the Whitetail Basin. No structural damage occurred and most areas were inaccessible to the NWS storm survey team.
Sixty to eighty evergreen trees uprooted or snapped off in a canyon along the little Boulder River. Damage pattern consistent with straight line winds due to a microburst funneling through the canyon…with a path length of 0.5 miles and width of about 300 yards. Damaged rated as EF1 consistent with 100 mph winds.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,774
Population (ACS)
$447K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2014 | Flood | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 29, 2012 | Fire | NINETEEN MILE FIRE | FM |
| Jun 17, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jefferson County, Montana?
102 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $300K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Hail, with 56 recorded events — 54.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as very low risk, placing it in the 22 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Hill County 343
- Judith Basin County 247
- Granite County 57
- Lake County 111
- Golden Valley County 156
- Lewis and Clark County 314
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.