Mineral County, Montana severe weather history spans 41 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,083 nationally and #56 in Montana.
41
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$4.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Mineral County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mineral County, Montana severe weather history averages 0.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 17 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 38 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Mineral County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 17 | 0 | $387K | 78 | 1987–2024 |
| Hail | 14 | 0 | $21K | 2 | 1970–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2017 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $4.0M | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 44 | 2003–2003 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Mineral County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mineral County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | ST REGIS | 0 | 1 | $360K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain in the mountains caused flooding and significant erosion of forest service roads in western Mineral County. In the Superior Ranger District, the Deer Creek Bridge was compromised as the St. Regis River eroded the north bank, severely damaging the surrounding roadbed. Further west, reports from the Ward Creek drainage (National Forest Service Road 889) confirmed a complete washout, forcing the closure of a 7-mile stretch from Milepost 4.5 to 11.9. A hunter driving out of the mountains along Big Creek reported driving through feet of water at times and encountering falling trees that blocked the road. A plugged pipe at Milepost 1.5 up the East Fork of Big Creek caused the road to be completely covered with rock and debris.
Frenchtown Rural Fire District rpeorted a structure fire after a pine tree crashed onto a power line in Alberton, causing the lines to arc. The Mineral County Disaster and Emergency Services reported that its phone lines were down. The severe winds of the derecho clipped the southeastern third of Mineral County.
A strong thunderstorm unleashed a small microburst that caused hundreds of trees to either snap in half or blow over at the Denna Mora Rest Area on Interstate 90 east of Lookout Pass. Two large fir and spruce trees with diameters up to 3 feet wide fell onto the eastbound lanes just to the northwest of the rest area obstructing the road at night. Approximately an hour later around 10 pm MDT, several vehicles hit the trees causing car damage, injuries and one fatality. A 21 year old male died after his vehicle collided with the topmost of the crisscrossed trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,959
Population (ACS)
$364K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 18, 2013 | Fire | WEST MULLAN FIRE | FM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Aug 12, 2003 | Fire | MT-MISSOULA/MINERAL FIRE ZONE-08/08/03 | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mineral County, Montana?
41 events are on record between 1970 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mineral County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 17 recorded events — 41.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mineral County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mineral County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mineral County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mineral County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mineral 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
- Meagher County 87
- Missoula County 272
- Madison County 84
- Musselshell County 324
- McCone County 479
- Park County 243
Cite this page
“Mineral County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/mineral-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.