Powder River County, Montana severe weather history spans 578 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 64.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #642 nationally and #8 in Montana.
578
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Powder River County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Powder River County, Montana severe weather history averages 8.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 211 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 544 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.1M 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 Powder River County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 373 | 0 | $15K | 6 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 139 | 0 | $1.1M | 90 | 1975–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Tornado | 18 | 0 | $815K | F2 | 1954–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2014 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 1999–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2007 |
Decade by decade
Powder River 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: 18 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Powder River County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Cache Creek Tornado was 100 yards wide and on the ground for approximately a half mile. The tornado lasted just over ten minutes. Damage consisted of a house roof and front porch blown off, broken windows, as well as the house being shifted off of its foundation. Winds were estimated at 111-135 mph.
Rainfall amounts ranging from 4-6 inches resulted in significant flooding across Powder River County. Most tributaries feeding the Powder and Little Powder River reported flooding. The Little Powder River subsequently flooded with water reported as flooding Highway 59 in several spots. This flooding resulted in numerous roads being washed out. Flood damage estimates were based on FEMA reports and Individual Assistance approvals.
The Boyes microburst winds were estimated to be 80 to 100 mph. Five grain bins were blown several hundred yards and three power poles were blown down. In addition, portions of rooftops were peeled back on two metal structures. There was some other minor damage as well.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,815
Population (ACS)
$192K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Sep 3, 2020 | Fire | SNIDER/RICE FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 24, 2019 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 2, 2012 | Fire | WILDFIRE | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Broadus 152
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Powder River County, Montana?
578 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Powder River County?
Hail, with 373 recorded events — 64.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Powder River County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Powder River County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Powder River County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Powder River County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Powder River County as very low risk, placing it in the 4 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Powder River 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
- Pondera County 141
- Powell County 103
- Phillips County 610
- Prairie County 337
- Petroleum County 225
- Ravalli County 180
Cite this page
“Powder River County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/powder-river-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.