Ravalli County, Montana severe weather history spans 180 recorded events between 1968 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,549 nationally and #37 in Montana.
180
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$2.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Ravalli County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ravalli County, Montana severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 58 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 158 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ravalli County, Montana record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $2.0M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ravalli County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 85 | 0 | $2.0M | 2.75 | 1975–2022 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 52 | 0 | $89K | 63 | 1968–2025 |
| Flood | 13 | 1 | $108K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $27K | 0 | 2001–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $420K | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $28K | F2 | 1975–1990 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | $16K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2003 |
Decade by decade
Ravalli County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-23 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-08-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-10-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ravalli County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1996 | Flood | ANTRIM CREEK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 9, 2013 | Lightning | FLORENCE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 1975 | 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
A single lightning bolt struck small crab-apple trees at a ranch located on Tin Cup Road, killing all 45 cattle crowded together. The Black Angus cattle consisted of cows, calves and a prize bull that died. A conservative damage estimate calculated by the NWS Missoula office is around $100,000.
A lightning caused fire consumed hay stored for winter cattle feeding at the Double K Ranch. More than 400 bales each weighting 1000 pounds were lost, which is a year's worth of feed for this ranch. Fencing was also lost in the fire.
The heavy rain had widespread impacts in Ravalli county. RAWS sensors reported between 1 to 3 inches overnight from June 12 to June 13, with Gird Point RAWS receiving 3.67 inches over the 2-day event. Spotters reported water flowing over driveways and local roads near Stevensville, MT. Victor, MT fire department reported flooding at Middle Bear Creek. Water overwhelmed culverts and washed over roads east of Stevensville causing $15,000 of damage for the road department. Homeowners on the east side of the Bitterroot Valley reported damages to garages, driveways, and gardens, with many public roads seeing water over roads. Skalkaho Highway, MT-38, was closed June 13th due to water on roadways.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
46,727
Population (ACS)
$477K
Median home value
13
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 |
| Aug 17, 2017 | Fire | LOLO PEAK FIRE | FM |
| Aug 1, 2016 | Fire | ROARING LION FIRE | FM |
| Apr 17, 2014 | Flood | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ravalli County, Montana?
180 events are on record between 1968 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $2.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ravalli County?
Hail, with 85 recorded events — 47.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ravalli County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ravalli County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ravalli County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ravalli County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ravalli County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ravalli 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
- Prairie County 337
- Richland County 491
- Powell County 103
- Roosevelt County 612
- Powder River County 578
- Rosebud County 600
Cite this page
“Ravalli County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/ravalli-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.