Judith Basin County, Montana severe weather history spans 247 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 60.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,125 nationally and #27 in Montana.
247
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$905K
Property damage
The record
What the Judith Basin County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Judith Basin County, Montana severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 90 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 217 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $850K 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 Judith Basin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 149 | 0 | $5K | 4 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 57 | 0 | $0 | 71 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $850K | F2 | 1957–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Wildfire | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2001 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Judith Basin County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Judith Basin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Bill Skelton ranch was hit by two tornadoes. Damage was extensive. A barn roof made from 8 to 12 inch logs was carried away. A two foot in diameter cottonwood tree was snapped five feet above the ground. A 24-foot horse trailer was picked up and carried 65 yards landing on its top and it hit and damaged a tractor enroute. A 1.5 ton truck was tipped over and an out building made from heavy beams and spiked down was twisted and moved. A mobile home was lifted and a large fuel tank was deposited under it. Several one ton hay bales were moved 20-30 yards. Golf ball-sized hail fell ahead of the tornadoes and covered the ground to a depth of five inches.
The Bill Skelton ranch was hit by two tornadoes. Damage was extensive. A barn roof made from 8 to 12 inch logs was carried away. A two foot in diameter cottonwood tree was snapped five feet above the ground. A 24-foot horse trailer was picked up and carried 65 yards landing on its top and it hit and damaged a tractor enroute. A 1.5 ton truck was tipped over and an out building made from heavy beams and spiked down was twisted and moved. A mobile home was lifted and a large fuel tank was deposited under it. Several one ton hay bales were moved 20-30 yards. Golf ball-sized hail fell ahead of the tornadoes and covered the ground to a depth of five inches.
Report via media: Funnel cloud was observed picking up dust for about 45 seconds and believed to have touched the ground. Location was about 6 mi south of Buffalo and 2 mi west of Garneill. No damages were reported with the landspout.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,071
Population (ACS)
$238K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 18, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| 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 Judith Basin County, Montana?
247 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $905K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Judith Basin County?
Hail, with 149 recorded events — 60.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Judith Basin County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Judith Basin County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Judith Basin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Judith Basin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Judith Basin County as very low risk, placing it in the 6 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Judith Basin 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
- Jefferson County 102
- Lake County 111
- Hill County 343
- Lewis and Clark County 314
- Granite County 57
- Liberty County 143
Cite this page
“Judith Basin County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/judith-basin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.