Phillips County, Montana severe weather history spans 610 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #562 nationally and #6 in Montana.
610
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Phillips County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Phillips County, Montana severe weather history averages 8.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 236 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 589 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $900K 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 Phillips County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 276 | 0 | $218K | 3 | 1961–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 247 | 0 | $434K | 87 | 1957–2026 |
| Flood | 38 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $900K | F1 | 1971–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 1998–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2018 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Phillips County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-08-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 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
A farm/ranch was significantly damaged by a tornado and damaging downburst winds. The storm stripped trees bare, four car garages were either destroyed or damaged. A 1000 gallon fuel tank that was filled that day was blown off it's stand. The houses received significant damage from hail and the high winds,and the majority of the windows on the two homes were busted out by the wind and hail. A 2×6 piece of lumber was blown and implanted into the side of one of the houses. The majority of the damage was downstream with the storm system. The peak gust was recorded at 86 mph before the sensor was destroyed. Quarter size hail fell with the storm as well, wiping out nearby field. The NWS did not receive the tornado report until a month after the event, but radar data verified the possibility of a tornado, and the property owner verified seeing a funnel cloud come from the sky prior to seeking shelter.
A total of 19 three-phase poles and 11 single phase were reported damaged. This included poles broken at ground level, as well as cross arms broken and wires snapped. The radar indicated a bow echo through the area and wind speeds are estimated. Damage is estimated at $75k to 80k.
A line of thunderstorms produced severe winds across southern Phillips County. The damaging winds were generally less than 70 mph, but one RAWS site at Zortman did measure a 74 mph gust. A group of researchers just north of the UL Bend had significant damage to trailer they were using to stay in while conducting research. Three trailers were completely toppled, and another had the side caved in.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,221
Population (ACS)
$198K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Oct 11, 2023 | Flood | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Saco 163
- Malta 111
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Phillips County, Montana?
610 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Phillips County?
Hail, with 276 recorded events — 45.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Phillips County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Phillips County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Phillips County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Phillips County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Phillips County as very low risk, placing it in the 35 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Phillips 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
- Petroleum County 225
- Pondera County 141
- Park County 243
- Powder River County 578
- Musselshell County 324
- Powell County 103
Cite this page
“Phillips County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/phillips-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.