KinwarnMontana tornado warnings
The National Weather Service issued 58 tornado warnings, 3,316 severe thunderstorm warnings and 164 flash flood warnings for Montana from 2016 to 2025, about 5.8, 332 and 16 a year. That ranks 36th of 52 states and territories for tornado warnings. Valley County had the most of any county: 10 tornado warnings.
Montana warnings and radar right now
Checking the National Weather Service for Montana…
Montana counties ranked by tornado warnings
Warnings that listed each county, 2016 to 2025, and tornadoes recorded in the county since 1950. A warning can list several counties, so the county numbers add up to more than the state total.
| County | Tornado warnings | Severe thunderstorm | Flash flood | Tornadoes since 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley County | 10 | 328 | 5 | 44 |
| Daniels County | 10 | 153 | 3 | 10 |
| Roosevelt County | 8 | 241 | 3 | 17 |
| Fergus County | 8 | 231 | 5 | 28 |
| Richland County | 6 | 189 | 3 | 13 |
| Carter County | 5 | 218 | 9 | 18 |
| Sheridan County | 5 | 143 | 1 | 10 |
| Phillips County | 4 | 210 | 4 | 15 |
| McCone County | 3 | 300 | 6 | 9 |
| Chouteau County | 3 | 220 | 8 | 17 |
| Judith Basin County | 3 | 157 | 1 | 18 |
| Blaine County | 3 | 152 | 8 | 7 |
| Musselshell County | 3 | 102 | 12 | 6 |
| Garfield County | 2 | 320 | 5 | 12 |
| Big Horn County | 2 | 244 | 7 | 11 |
| Rosebud County | 2 | 233 | 10 | 12 |
| Yellowstone County | 2 | 150 | 14 | 21 |
| Fallon County | 2 | 94 | 2 | 15 |
| Dawson County | 1 | 224 | 4 | 15 |
| Custer County | 1 | 203 | 10 | 10 |
| Prairie County | 1 | 170 | 6 | 3 |
| Petroleum County | 1 | 119 | 1 | 8 |
| Meagher County | 1 | 81 | 4 | 3 |
| Broadwater County | 1 | 69 | 5 | 1 |
| Wheatland County | 1 | 69 | 5 | 7 |
| Powder River County | 0 | 213 | 5 | 18 |
| Cascade County | 0 | 177 | 11 | 13 |
| Hill County | 0 | 140 | 4 | 7 |
| Wibaux County | 0 | 109 | 0 | 8 |
| Teton County | 0 | 99 | 4 | 4 |
| Stillwater County | 0 | 96 | 16 | 1 |
| Lewis and Clark County | 0 | 91 | 11 | 6 |
| Golden Valley County | 0 | 89 | 11 | 0 |
| Liberty County | 0 | 81 | 1 | 4 |
| Toole County | 0 | 79 | 2 | 7 |
| Pondera County | 0 | 73 | 3 | 0 |
| Treasure County | 0 | 72 | 1 | 3 |
| Carbon County | 0 | 71 | 11 | 3 |
| Missoula County | 0 | 69 | 0 | 2 |
| Glacier County | 0 | 64 | 1 | 3 |
| Sweet Grass County | 0 | 61 | 7 | 2 |
| Gallatin County | 0 | 59 | 1 | 4 |
| Madison County | 0 | 59 | 0 | 2 |
| Jefferson County | 0 | 57 | 0 | 1 |
| Beaverhead County | 0 | 50 | 0 | 14 |
| Granite County | 0 | 46 | 0 | 2 |
| Ravalli County | 0 | 43 | 3 | 3 |
| Lake County | 0 | 38 | 0 | 4 |
| Powell County | 0 | 36 | 0 | 2 |
| Flathead County | 0 | 28 | 0 | 4 |
| Sanders County | 0 | 28 | 1 | 1 |
| Park County | 0 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| Mineral County | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Deer Lodge County | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| Silver Bow County | 0 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Lincoln County | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Montana warnings by year
Each warning counts once for the state, however many counties it covered. 2008 is the first full year the National Weather Service drew an outline around every warning.
Tornadoes since 1950
444 tornadoes have been recorded in Montana since 1950, 1 of them rated 4 or 5 on the F or EF scale. They killed 4 people and injured 32. June had the most (165).
| Year | Tornado | Severe thunderstorm | Flash flood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 to Oct 19 | 0 | 449 | 42 |
| 2025 | 6 | 549 | 25 |
| 2024 | 8 | 343 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | 230 | 67 |
| 2022 | 2 | 476 | 11 |
| 2021 | 5 | 212 | 6 |
| 2020 | 5 | 221 | 1 |
| 2019 | 14 | 459 | 21 |
| 2018 | 5 | 334 | 23 |
| 2017 | 0 | 132 | 2 |
| 2016 | 12 | 360 | 5 |
| 2015 | 9 | 190 | 14 |
| 2014 | 7 | 260 | 10 |
| 2013 | 25 | 502 | 70 |
| 2012 | 10 | 235 | 8 |
| 2011 | 25 | 413 | 56 |
| 2010 | 56 | 446 | 24 |
| 2009 | 21 | 295 | 17 |
| 2008 | 13 | 509 | 14 |
What stands out in Montana
2010 was the busiest year for tornado warnings in Montana since 2008, with 56 tornado warnings. The busiest year for flash flood warnings was 2013, with 70.
No warning for Montana has been raised to a tornado emergency or a flash flood emergency since 2008. Those are the rare warnings the Weather Service issues when a severe threat to life is happening or about to happen.
44 severe thunderstorm warnings for Montana carried the “destructive” tag (winds of 80 mph or more, or hail 2.75 inches or larger) since the tag started in August 2021. Only those severe thunderstorm warnings set off Wireless Emergency Alerts on phones.
The strongest tornado recorded in Montana since 1950 was rated F4 on June 29, 1961.
National Weather Service warnings from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive through October 19, 2026; tornado ratings from the Storm Prediction Center and NOAA Storm Events.
States next to Montana
Tornado warnings for each neighboring state, 2016 to 2025.
- South Dakota 379 tornado warnings
- North Dakota 361 tornado warnings
- Wyoming 202 tornado warnings
- Idaho 35 tornado warnings
Get alerts for a home anywhere in Montana.
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Montana tornado warnings: questions people ask
How many tornado warnings does Montana get a year?
About 5.8 a year: the National Weather Service issued 58 tornado warnings for Montana from 2016 to 2025, 36th of 52 states and territories.
Which Montana county gets the most tornado warnings?
Valley County has the most: 10 tornado warnings listed it from 2016 to 2025, ahead of Daniels County with 10. A warning can list several counties, so county counts add up to more than the state total.
When is tornado season in Montana?
June and July: 71% of the 444 tornadoes recorded in Montana since 1950 came in those two months.
About these numbers
Counts are National Weather Service warnings that listed a Montana county, through October 19, 2026. How Kinwarn counts · Montana data (CSV)
Cite: Kinwarn. “Montana tornado warnings.” kinwarn.com/montana. National Weather Service data through October 19, 2026.
Sources: IEM warning archive · NWS 2007 outlines · SPC tornado database · Census places · Census population estimates · NWS tornado alerts