Valley County, Montana severe weather history spans 1,247 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #74 nationally and #1 in Montana.
1,247
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$18.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Valley County, Montana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Valley County, Montana severe weather history averages 17.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 436 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 89 events fall before 1990 and 1,158 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $14.9M 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 Valley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 575 | 0 | $1.4M | 104 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 470 | 0 | $14.9M | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 78 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1999–2023 |
| Tornado | 44 | 0 | $651K | F2 | 1954–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 0 | $571K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 23 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2005–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2006–2022 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Valley County, Montana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 39 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-07-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Valley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 2006 | Lightning | SAINT MARIE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2003 | Hail | GLASGOW | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
One hundred percent of the businesses and homes in the town were damaged from the combination of large hail and damaging winds. Many vehicles also had significant damage. Damages included roofing, windows, gutters, siding, trees and gardens. See entire episode narrative for full details.
Heavy rainfall in the basin with amounts ranging from 4 to 10 inches over a four day period caused significant flooding in all the streams in the basin, and eventually the rivers. Willow Creek, Antelope Creek, Cherry Creek, Larb Creek, Brazil Creek all flooded during this time frame, blocking off many gravel roads around the county. Valley County had at least 36 locations with damages and DES reported to FEMA the totals were $1.2 million. Willow Creek Road from Fort Peck to the Pines had a very large area completely wiped out with a large culvert gone.
Severe thunderstorm winds in excess of 80 mph knocked down power lines and trees and caused roof damage. A double wide trailer 8 miles north of Glasgow was almost completely destroyed by the winds. The occupants were saved by taking shelter in an interior bathroom. Over 50 power poles were blown down around Glasgow leaving residents in the dark some longer than 24 hours. The roof of the Cottonwood Inn Restaurant was blown off. A new record wind gust of 82 mph was set at the Glasgow International Airport.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,519
Population (ACS)
$198K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Straight-Line Winds | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Aug 12, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 24, 2019 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 30, 2018 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Glasgow 333
- Hinsdale 240
- Nashua 131
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Valley County, Montana?
1,247 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $18.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Valley County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 575 recorded events — 46.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Valley County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Valley County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Valley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Valley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Valley County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Valley 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
- Treasure County 159
- Wheatland County 160
- Toole County 143
- Wibaux County 242
- Teton County 216
- Yellowstone County 945
Cite this page
“Valley County, Montana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/montana/valley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.